Media gave Congressman Swalwell an easy pass

By Larry Huss,

This week’s stories carried at least three incidents in which the mainstream media again failed to do the hard work expected of journalists: the follow-up question.

In the first instance, Brittany Watts, the spouse of disgraced Democrat Eric Swalwell, apparently told People magazine that she was completely blindsided by the sexual assault allegations against her husband. Sure she was—and Hillary Clinton was blindsided to learn of each and every instance in which former President Bill Clinton proved his worth as America’s foremost horndog.

Having made such a bold statement puts Ms. Watts in the center of the story. She wasn’t obligated to talk to the press. She could have simply asked people to respect her privacy and be done with it. But no, she had to become a part of the story—the part where everybody pretends not to know that this cretin was not only a pathological liar but also a churlish Lothario.

Did members of the mainstream media ever think to ask her whether she was bothered by the fact that Mr. Swalwell was living at a millionaire’s home in California instead of his own home? Or how about, was she not at least curious about the relationship between her husband and a Chinese spy that plastered television and print media (although not so much in California)? Or the fact that apparently everyone connected to Democrat politics in California knew of Mr. Swalwell’s affairs and treatment of women and staff?

Quite frankly, the same questions should have been asked of California members of Congress like Reps. Nancy Pelosi, Ro Khanna, Maxine Waters, and the other members of Congress representing the San Francisco Bay area, as well as California Sen. Adam Schiff. And throw in Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego and Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Then there is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who in the past couple of weeks has claimed that the American Revolution was not about the heavy hand of King George but rather about the millionaires. And then she claimed that being white and Christian had but a “thin” impact on the United States Constitution. One wonders if she has ever read American history or the Constitution of the United States. But the mainstream media again gave her a pass and declined to ask her a single question about the origin or support for her allegations.

And finally, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer claimed that President Donald Trump was selling out America to Xi Jinping, Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, during the recent summit of the two leaders. Again, there was not a single question about the origins and/or support for the allegations. The predictions by Mr. Schumer feel more like a recitation of Joe Biden’s administration, yet he is never called to account.

Well, as always, I’m here to help. If you have forgotten the basics of journalism, or if your school confused journalism with liberal boosterism, here are the basics. According to Media Helping Media:

“There are six questions that journalists should consider asking. They are: What? Why? When? How? Where? and Who?

“And it’s worth asking yourself these questions to ensure you have not missed out on anything which ought to be included in your story. You don’t have to answer all six questions.
“There might be times when you choose to leave out one or more of them. That’s fine, as long as you have made a conscious decision to do so.

“But use the six as a checklist. Run through them as a matter of routine to assure yourself that you have not omitted anything by mistake.”

Journalism is even afforded particular constitutional privileges because we count so dearly on its efforts in order to provide transparency. However, the idea that a free press is the foundation for accountability in the government now lies in tatters and has been replaced by the phrase, “Don’t ask questions because it will just embarrass the liberals, progressives, and socialists.”

The internet has democratized free speech and government accountability if you simply get off your duff and look across the spectrum of information. And along the way, it will bankrupt the mainstream media.

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* According to Merriam Webster’s online dictionary a horn dog “is a lustful or sexually aggressive man.”