John Edwards extramarital affair

John Edwards, a former United States Senator from North Carolina and Democratic Party presidential candidate, admitted in August 2008 to an extramarital affair, which was initially reported by "The National Enquirer", an American supermarket tabloid newspaper. The story had been given little or no coverage by many sources in the American mainstream media. [ [http://media.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZTkxNDRmN2NjMmVmODM4YmFkOWNmZGZkZThlNzdjNjk= Where's HuffPo on Edwards?] ] [ [http://www.slate.com/id/2189635/#mrsechutzpah Elizabeth Edwards' Chutzpah] ] [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/opinion/10pubed.html Sometimes, There’s News in the Gutter] ] The "Enquirer" cited claims by an anonymous source that Edwards had engaged in the affair with Rielle Hunter, a filmmaker hired to work for his presidential campaign, and that the relationship had produced a child.

The allegations, initially published in late 2007, were denied by both Edwards and Hunter. Andrew Young, a member of Edwards' campaign team, claimed paternity of Hunter's daughter; although no father is listed on the child's birth certificate. The "Enquirer"'s claims received little attention outside the tabloid press and political blogosphere until July 2008, when several mainstream media news outlets cited them in relation to Edwards' future political career, and his chances of being selected as a running mate in Barack Obama's 2008 presidential bid. On August 7, 2008, Edwards admitted to ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff that he did have an extended affair with Hunter, but denied he was the father of Hunter's baby girl.cite news |first=Rhonda |last=Schwarz |coauthors=Woodruff, Brian |title=Edwards Admits Sexual Affair; Lied as Presidential Candidate |url=http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5441195&page=1 |publisher=ABC News |date= |accessdate=2008-08-08 ] Hunter's sister has publicly asked Edwards to take a paternity test to verify whether the child is his or not. Hunter's sister claims that it is. [cite news |first=Rhonda |last=Schwartz |authorlink= |coauthors=Brian Ross |title=Mistress' Family Challenges Edwards to Take DNA Test |url=http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5546813&page=1 |work=ABC News |date=August 9, 2008 |accessdate=2008-08-09]

Rielle Hunter and the Edwards campaign

In December 2006, "Newsweek" reported that Rielle Hunter, a filmmaker, had been hired by the Edwards campaign to produce a series of webisodes portraying behind-the-scenes life on the campaign trail. [cite video | title = John Edwards Webisode 1: Plane Truths | medium = internet video | publisher = Webcastr.com | date = 2008 | url = http://www.webcastr.com/videos/politics/edwards-webisode-1-plane-truths.html] [cite video | title = John Edwards Webisode 2: The Golden Rule | medium = internet video | publisher = Webcastr.com | date = 2008 | url = http://www.webcastr.com/videos/politics/john-edwards-missing-webisode-2.html] [cite video | title = John Edwards Webisode 3: Plight of Uganda | medium = internet video | publisher = Webcastr.com | date = 2008 | url = http://www.webcastr.com/videos/politics/missing-edwards-webisode-3-plight-of-uganda.html] [cite video | title = John Edwards Webisode 4: Plugs | medium = internet video | publisher = Webcastr.com | date = 2008 | url = http://www.webcastr.com/videos/politics/missing-edwards-webisode-4-plugs.html] Hunter had pitched the idea of the series to Edwards when she met him at a bar in New York, where he was attending a business meeting. [cite news |first=Jonathan |last=Darman |title=Politics 2008: John Edwards, Untucked |url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/44245 |work=Newsweek |date=2006-12-25 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] The campaign paid Hunter's production company, Midline Groove, over US$100,000 for the short documentaries,cite news |first=Stuart |last=Watson |title=No father on alleged love child's birth certificate |url=http://www.wcnc.com/news/topstories/stories/wcnc-073108-krg-birthcertificate.1f42367b.html |publisher=WCNC-TV |date=2008-08-01 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] which were uploaded to YouTube. "Business Week" later included one of the episodes in a feature on web video in 2006. [cite news |first=Catherine |last=Holahan |title=The Year in Web Video |url=http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/01/0102_videostory/source/1.htm |work=Business Week |accessdate=2008-08-02 ]

The first apparent print mention of a possible Edwards/Hunter affair appeared in the "New York Post". On August 27, 2007, the Page Six feature published a blind gossip item [cite news |title=JUST ASKING |url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/08272007/gossip/pagesix/just_asking.htm |work=New York Post |date=2007-08-27 |accessdate=2008-08-08 ] which asked "WHICH political candidate enjoys visiting New York because he has a girlfriend who lives downtown? The pol tells her he'll marry her when his current wife is out of the picture." The mention in the "Post" started a tabloid and blogosphere investigation that eventually led back to Hunter and Edwards. [cite news |first=Alexander |last=Cockburn |authorlink=Alexander Cockburn |title=The Edwards scandal in full |url=http://eurekareporter.com/article/080808-the-edwards-scandal-in-full |work=The Eureka Reporter |date=2008-08-08 |accessdate=2008-08-08 ]

In September 2007, Sam Stein, a political reporter for "The Huffington Post", reported that the web documentaries had been pulled and were no longer accessible. Representatives from the Edwards campaign stated that the material could not be used due to campaign finance law.cite news |first=Sam |last=Stein |title=Edwards Mystery: Innocuous Videos Suddenly Shrouded In Secrecy |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/09/26/edwards-mystery-innocuou_n_66070.html |work=The Huffington Post |date=2007-09-26 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] Several days later, "The Huffington Post" reported that the videos had been reposted to YouTube by an anonymous user. [cite news |title=Mystery Edwards Videos Reappear On Web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/09/30/mystery-edwards-videos-re_n_66484.html |work=The Huffington Post |date=2007-09-30 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ]

Initial "National Enquirer" allegations

On October 10, 2007, "The National Enquirer", an American supermarket tabloid newspaper, published an article claiming that Edwards had engaged in an extramarital affair with a unnamed female campaign worker. The article cited an anonymous "friend" of the woman as the source, and claimed that the "Enquirer" was in possession of e-mails which discussed the affair.cite news |title=PRESIDENTIAL CHEATING SCANDAL! ALLEGED AFFAIR COULD WRECK JOHN EDWARDS' CAMPAIGN BID |url=http://www.nationalenquirer.com/john_edwards_cheating_scandal/celebrity/64271 |work=The National Enquirer |date= 2007-10-10 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] On the same day, Sam Stein published another article at "The Huffington Post" which contained additional details about Hunter and the Web videos she had produced.cite news |first=Sam |last=Stein |title=Scrubbed: Edwards Filmmaker's Deleted Website Raises Questions |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/10/10/scrubbed-edwards-filmmak_n_67868.html |work=The Huffington Post |date=2007-10-10 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] The following day, October 11th, "New York" published a piece which linked Hunter to the "Enquirer" allegations.cite news |title=John Edwards's Docudrama: The Anatomy of Innuendo |url=http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2007/10/john_edwards_docudrama_the_ana.html |work=New York |date=2007-10-11 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ]

Both Edwards and Hunter denied the relationship claims. Edwards said the "Enquirer" story was "made up," and was quoted as saying "I've been in love with the same woman for 30-plus years," referring to his wife, Elizabeth Edwards, "and as anybody who's been around us knows, she's an extraordinary human being, warm, loving, beautiful, sexy and as good a person as I have ever known. So the story's just false." [cite news |title=Edwards Says Tabloid Report of Extramarital Affair Is 'Completely Untrue' |url=http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3720191&page=1 |publisher=ABC News |date=2007-10-11 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] [cite news |title=BREAKING NEWS: John Edwards denies affair with campaign worker |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2007/10/breaking-news-j.html#comment-86116352 |work=Top of the Ticket |publisher="Los Angeles Times" |date=2007-10-11 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] [cite news |title=Edwards Denies Tabloid Report Of Affair |url=http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_071012.htm |work=Political Bulletin |publisher="U.S. News & World Report" |date=2007-10-12 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] Hunter's attorney issued a denial via Jerome Armstrong, a political blogger and founder of MyDD, stating "The innuendoes and lies that have appeared on the (I)nternet and in the "National Enquirer" concerning John Edwards are not true, completely unfounded and ridiculous." [cite web |url=http://www.mydd.com/story/2007/10/11/161518/89 |title=National Enquirer, Wonkette, bullshit bucket |accessdate=2008-08-02|author=Armstrong, Jerome |date=2007-10-11 |work=MyDD|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5Zvb5jUmg |archivedate=2008-08-08 ] [cite news |first=Mickey |last=Kaus |authorlink=Mickey Kaus |title=Edwards Walks the Line |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2175509/#nodrudgenostory |work=Slate |date=2007-10-11 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] [cite news |first=Ben |last=Smith |title=The Clintonite who owns National Enquirer |url=http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1007/The_Clintonite_who_owns_National_Enquirer.html |work=The Politico |date=2007-10-11 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] David Perel, the "Enquirer" Editor-in-Chief, stood by the paper's allegations, stating, "The original story was 100% accurate." [cite news |title=Tabloid's affair rumor dispelled, says John Edwards |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2007/11/29/2007-11-29_tabloids_affair_rumor_dispelled_says_joh.html |work=Rush & Molloy |publisher="Daily News" |date=2007-11-29 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ]

The "Enquirer" published a follow-up story on December 19, 2007 that included a photograph of a visibly pregnant Hunter. The "Enquirer" alleged that, according to their anonymous source, Hunter was claiming that Edwards was the father of her child. The article also claimed that Hunter had relocated to a gated community in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, near Andrew Young, a former official with the Edwards campaign who had claimed paternity of Hunter's child. [cite news |title=UPDATE: JOHN EDWARDS LOVE CHILD SCANDAL! |url=http://www.nationalenquirer.com/john_edwards_love_child/celebrity/64426 |work=The National Enquirer |date=2007-12-19 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] As with Hunter's initial denial of the affair, Young's paternity claim had been issued to Jerome Armstrong and published at "MyDD". [cite web |url=http://www.mydd.com/story/2007/12/19/153027/87 |title=Is this really happening? |accessdate=2008-08-02|author=Armstrong, Jerome |date=2007-12-19 |work=MyDD |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5Zvb84CP3 |archivedate=2008-08-08] [cite news |title=National Enquirer Enters The 2008 Presidential Race With Edwards Love-Child Story |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/12/19/national-enquirerem_n_77603.html |work=The Huffington Post |date=2007-12-19 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ]

The claims received little attention in the mainstream press. CBS News journalist Bob Schieffer, asked about the allegations on "Imus in the Morning", stated "I believe that's a story that we will be avoiding, because it appears to me that there's absolutely nothing to it...This seems to be just sort of a staple of modern campaigns, that you got through at least one love child which turns out not to be a love child. And I think we can all do better than this one." [cite interview |last=Schieffer |first= Bob |subjectlink=Bob Schieffer |interviewer=Don Imus |title= |type= |url=http://www.webcitation.org/5ZvdaZz78 |program="Imus in the Morning" |callsign=ABC |date=2007-12-19 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] Mickey Kaus, a journalist at "Slate", speculated that the lack of mainstream coverage was motivated by a desire not to harm Elizabeth Edwards (who was fighting cancer at the time), or that the news organizations were taking a "wait-and-see" attitude pending the results of the Iowa caucuses. [cite news |first=Mickey |last=Kaus |authorlink=Mickey Kaus |title=Undernews Underanalysis |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2181118/#undernewsanalysis |work=Slate |date=2007-12-26 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ]

Hotel encounter with reporters

According to David Perel, the "Enquirer" Editor-in-Chief, the paper had received information that Edwards would be visiting Hunter and her child at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on the evening of July 21, 2008, and the paper dispatched several reporters to the hotel. The team of "Enquirer" reporters encountered Edwards on the hotel premises sometime after 2 a.m. on the morning of July 22. According to Perel, Edwards, who was not a registered guest of the hotel, retreated from the reporters to a washroom, where he remained until being escorted from the premises by hotel security. The encounter between Edwards and the "Enquirer" reporters was later confirmed by a hotel guard interviewed by Fox News. Edwards' spokespeople did not respond to Fox's request for comment on the incident.cite news |title=Guard Confirms Late-Night Hotel Encounter Between Ex-Sen. John Edwards, Tabloid Reporters |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,391426,00.html |publisher=Fox News |date=2007-07-25 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ]

In articles published immediately after the hotel encounter, the "Enquirer" claimed that Edwards had visited with Hunter and her child in the Hilton for several hours. [cite news |title=SEN. JOHN EDWARDS CAUGHT WITH MISTRESS AND LOVE CHILD! |url=http://www.nationalenquirer.com/sen_john_edwards_caught_with_mistress_and_love_child_in_la_hotel/celebrity/65193 |work=The National Enquirer |date=2008-07-22 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] [cite news |title=JOHN EDWARDS LOVE CHILD |url=http://www.nationalenquirer.com/john_edwards_love_child_update/celebrity/65199 |work=The National Enquirer |date=2008-07-23 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] The "Enquirer" also claimed to have videotape of Hunter entering the room where she allegedly met Edwards, and videotape of Edwards leaving the same room, but the paper declined a request from Fox News to release photos or videotape of the incident. In an interview with "Radar", Perel said that the "Enquirer" would release the photos when "the time is right".cite news |first=Neel |last=Shah |title=Where Are the John Edwards Photos? |url=http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2008/07/where-are-the-john-edwards-photos.php |work=Radar |date=2008-07-29 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] The "Enquirer" later stated that they had filed a "criminal complaint" against the hotel's security over their conduct during the encounter, [cite news |title=JOHN EDWARDS AFFAIR: CRIMINAL COMPLAINT FILED |url=http://www.nationalenquirer.com/update_john_edwards_affair_criminal_complaint_filed/celebrity/65209 |work=The National Enquirer |date=2008-07-24 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] but the Beverly Hills Police Department said that there was no criminal complaint, only an "incident report" which was under investigation.

Questioned at a New Orleans event on 23 July, Edwards stated "I have no idea what you're asking about. I've responded, consistently, to these tabloid allegations by saying I don't respond to these lies and you know that ... and I stand by that." On the same day, Hunter appeared on the television program "Extra", describing the "Enquirer" story as "completely unfounded and ridiculous". [cite news |title=John Edwards' Alleged Mistress Speaks! |url=http://extratv.warnerbros.com/2008/07/john_edwards_alleged_mistress.php |publisher="Extra" |date=2008-07-23 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ]

On August 6, 2008, the "Enquirer" published a blurry photo alleged to be of Edwards holding Hunter's baby. [cite news |first=Annette|last=Witheridge|title=John Edwards love child rumours threaten the Barack Obama presidential campaign |url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1042662/John-Edwards-love-child-rumours-threaten-Barack-Obama-presidential-campaign.html |work=Daily Mail |date=2008-08-07 |accessdate=2008-08-07 ] cite news |title=THE PHOTOS EVERYONE'S BEEN WAITING FOR! |url=http://www.nationalenquirer.com/exclusive_john_edwards_love_child_photos/celebrity/65258 |work=The National Enquirer |date=2008-08-06 |accessdate=2008-08-09 ]

Media coverage

Coverage of the allegations

The allegations were discussed by two reporters from "The Washington Post". On 23 July, Roxanne Roberts said "We have no evidence this is true. Lots of juicy details----enough so Edwards may feel he has to address the issue, especially if it's not true and there's an innocent explanation. Or not. That won't stop anyone from talking about it, but let's assume, until we know the facts, that this could be false." [cite news |first=Roxanne |last=Roberts |authorlink=Roxanne Roberts |title=The Reliable Source |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2008/07/21/DI2008072101782.html |work=The Washington Post |date=2008-07-23 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] On 25 July, in response to a question as to whether "The Washington Post" was investigating the claims, political reporter Jonathan Weisman stated "Yes, and to be quite honest, we're waiting to see the pictures the "Enquirer" says it will publish this weekend. That said, Edwards is no longer an elected official and is not running for any office now. Don't expect wall-to-wall coverage." [cite news |first=Jonathan |last=Weisman |title=Post Politics Hour |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2008/07/20/DI2008072001482.html |work=The Washington Post |date=2008-07-25 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ]

On 25 July, Mickey Kaus at "Slate" published a 24 July e-mail from Tony Pierce, an editor at the "Los Angeles Times", to the "Times" in-house bloggers, which referred to the Edwards allegations and said "...I am asking you all not to blog about this topic until further notified." Kaus portrayed the e-mail as a "gag" order. [cite news |first=Mickey |last=Kaus |authorlink=Mickey Kaus |title=LAT Gags Blogs |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2195914/#latedict |work=Slate |date=2008-07-25 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] The incident was also mentioned by Rod Dreher at "The Dallas Morning News", [cite news |first=Rod |last=Dreher |authorlink=Rod Dreher |title=LA Times gag on Edwards love child story |url=http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/07/la-times-gag-on.html |work=The Dallas Morning News |date=2008-07-25 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] Paul Mulshine at "The Star-Ledger",cite news |first=Paul |last= Mulshine |authorlink=Paul Mulshine |title=Bloggers still beating MSM on Edwards story |url=http://blog.nj.com/njv_paul_mulshine/2008/08/bloggers_still_beating_msm_on.html |work=The Star-Ledger |date=2008-08-02 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] and Guy Adams at "The Independent".cite news |first=Guy |last=Adams |title=Guy Adams' US Media Diary: The 'scoop' the US papers ignored |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/comment/guy-adams-us-media-diary-the-scoop-the-us-papers-ignored-884086.html |work=The Independent |date=2008-08-04 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] In an online interview, Pierce defended the e-mail, stating that it was the result of a decision by senior editors at the "Times" to allow time for the newspaper's Metro Desk to investigate the allegations. Pierce also pointed out that a "Times" blogger had already posted a story [cite news |first=Amina |last=Khan |title=National Enquirer alleges John Edwards affair; blogosphere readies salt shaker |url=http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/2008/07/john-edwards-af.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=2008-07-23 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] on the "Enquirer" claims. [cite news |first=Simon |last=Owens |title=LA Times blog editor Tony Pierce responds to criticism about National Enquirer story |url=http://bloggasm.com/la-times-blog-editor-tony-pierce-responds-to-criticism-about-national-enquirer-story |work=Bloggasm |date=2008-07-29 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] On August 8, 2008, in response to dozens of e-mails to the "Times", National Editor Scott Kraft stated that "this strikes us as a legitimate story". [cite news |first=Jamie |last=Gold |title=Handling the John Edwards story |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/readers/2008/08/when-the-story.html |work=Readers' Representative Journal |publisher="The Los Angeles Times" |date=2008-08-07 |accessdate=2008-08-09 ] "Times" bloggers subsequently posted a story on the topic. [cite news |first=Andrew |last=Malcolm |title=Rielle Hunter video of John Edwards' during affair |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/ |work=Top of the Ticket |publisher="The Los Angeles Times" |date=2007-08-08 |accessdate=2008-08-09 ]

Over the period of 27–28 July, the claims, and speculation about their possible impact on Edwards' political career, were picked up by several papers outside the United States, including "The Times", [cite news |first=Sarah |last=Baxter |title=Sleaze scuppers Democrat golden boy |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article4406814.ece |work=The Times |date=2008-07-27 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] "The Independent", [cite news |first=Guy |last=Adams |title=Love child and mistress claims hit Edwards |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/love-child-and-mistress-claims-hit-edwards-878277.html |work=The Independent |date=2008-07-27 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] "Der Spiegel", [cite news |title=Abend in Erhabenheit und Würde |url=http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/gesellschaft/0,1518,568444,00.html |work=Der Spiegel |date=2008-07-28 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] "The Irish Independent", [cite news |first=Orla |last=Healy |title=VP dreams end in Rielle nightmare |url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/news-gossip/vp-dreams-end-in-rielle-nightmare-1441757.html |work=The Irish Independent |date=2008-07-27 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] and "The Times of India". [cite news |title=Obama's running mate in sex scandal |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/USA/Obamas_running_mate_in_sex_scandal/articleshow/3295525.cms |work=The Times of India |date=2008-07-28 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ]

Blogosphere claims of a media "blackout" extended to the online reference site Wikipedia and its [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Edwards biographical article] on Edwards. Several prominent sites criticized the omission of information about the allegations, most notably Gawker.com [cite news |last="Pareene" |title=John Edwards' Wikipedia Page Strangely Love Child-Free |url=http://gawker.com/5029921/john-edwards-wikipedia-page-strangely-love-child+free |work=Gawker.com |date=2008-07-28 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] [cite news |last="Pareene" |title=Meet the Mistress! (Just Not on Wikipedia) |url=http://gawker.com/5030606/meet-the-mistress-just-not-on-wikipedia |work=Gawker.com |date=2008-07-29 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] and the Media Research Center's "NewsBusters" blog. [cite news |first=P. J. |last=Gladnick |title=Wikipedia Disallows Any Mention of Alleged John Edwards Scandal |url=http://newsbusters.org/blogs/p-j-gladnick/2008/07/28/wikipedia-disallows-any-mention-alleged-john-edwards-scandal |work=NewsBusters |publisher=Media Research Center |date=2008-07-28 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] [cite news |first=P. J. |last=Gladnick |title=Wikipedia John Edwards Page Now 'Protected' From Editing |url=http://newsbusters.org/blogs/p-j-gladnick/2008/07/29/wikipedia-john-edwards-page-now-protected-editing |work=NewsBusters |publisher=Media Research Center |date=2008-07-29 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] [cite news |first=P. J. |last=Gladnick |title=Cracks Emerging in MSM Wall of Silence on John Edwards Scandal |url=http://newsbusters.org/blogs/p-j-gladnick/2008/07/31/cracks-emerging-msm-wall-silence-john-edwards-scandal |work=NewsBusters |publisher=Media Research Center |date=2008-07-31 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] Another critic was Roger L. Simon of Pajamas Media, [cite news |first=Roger L. |last=Simon |authorlink=Roger L. Simon |title=Edwards: Wikipedia engages in some ‘political cleansing’ |url=http://pajamasmedia.com/rogerlsimon/2008/07/28/edwards-wikipedia-engages-in-some-political-cleansing/ |work=Pajamas Media |date=2008-07-28 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] [cite news |first=Roger L. |last=Simon |authorlink=Roger L. Simon |title=Censored John Edwards/Wikipedia love child page revealed |url=http://pajamasmedia.com/rogerlsimon/2008/08/04/censored-john-edwardswikipedia-love-child-page-revealed/ |publisher=Pajamas Media |date=2008-08-04 |accessdate=2008-08-09 ] whose posts were linked by Glenn Reynolds at the high-traffic weblog "Instapundit". [cite news |first=Glenn |last=Reynolds |authorlink=Glenn Reynolds |title=POLITICAL CLEANSING at Wikipedia |url=http://www.pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/archives2/022226.php |work=Instapundit |date=2008-07-28 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] The Wikipedia biography was later changed to include a mention of the allegations' potential impact on Edwards' political career. The controversy over the Wikipedia page was covered by "Wired" magazine, [cite news |first=Sarah Lai |last=Stirland |title=Wikipedians Wrestle Over John Edwards Love-Child Rumor |url=http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/07/curious-about-w.html |work=Wired |date=2008-07-30 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] and "Kansas City Star" columnist Aaron Barnhart opined that the addition of the information to the Wikipedia article influenced later media coverage of the allegations.cite news |first=Aaron |last=Barnhart |title=The John Edwards love-baby story: What took so long? |url=http://blogs.kansascity.com/tvbarn/2008/07/the-john-edward.html |work=The Kansas City Star |date=2008-07-31 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ]

As of August 6, cable television news network CNN had not mentioned the story, and MSNBC had mentioned it once — on July 31, a late night talk program played part of a David Letterman Top 10 list which alluded to the charges. On the same night The O'Reilly Factor played a clip of a Jay Leno Tonight Show monologue that mentioned it. Altogether, Fox News had run stories or discussed the matter six times by August 6, more than any other cable news organization. [cite news |title=How the Cablers Have Covered the Edwards Story |url=http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/generalities/how_the_cablers_have_covered_the_edwards_story_90789.asp |work=TVNewser feature at Mediabistro.com |date=2008-08-04 |accessdate=2008-08-07 ] [cite news |title=Cablers Still Mostly Silent on John Edwards Enquirer Story |url=http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/generalities/cablers_still_mostly_silent_on_john_edwards_enquirer_story_91099.asp |work=TVNewser feature at Mediabistro.com |date=2008-08-07 |accessdate=2008-08-07 ]

Edwards admitting the affair

On August 8, 2008, Edwards admitted to the affair, but denied that he was the father of the child and said he was willing to take a paternity test. His statement included: "In 2006, I made a serious error in judgment and conducted myself in a way that was disloyal to my family and to my core beliefs. I recognized my mistake and I told my wife that I had a liaison with another woman, and I asked for her forgiveness. Although I was honest in every painful detail with my family, I did not tell the public. When a supermarket tabloid told a version of the story, I used the fact that the story contained many falsities to deny it. But being 99 percent honest is no longer enough..."cite news | url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/08/edwards.statement/index.html| title=John Edwards' statement of August 8, 2008 | publisher=CNN | date=2008-08-08|accessdate=2008-08-08]

On the same day, Elizabeth Edwards released a statement. The statement was first published on the liberal blog, "The Daily Kos". The statement said that in 2006 "John had made a terrible mistake", though she went on to praise her husband for "courage in the face of shame". She also said that she hopes people would watch the interview that aired later that night on ABC News's late night program, "Nightline", where her husband admitted the affair to journalist Bob Woodruff. She did, in her statement, criticize the claims that her husband fathered a child as a "absurd lie in a tabloid publication". Elizabeth Edwards' seemingly willing participation in efforts to cover-up the affair have also been called into question. "I think she's complicit," said Brad Crone, a Raleigh-based Democratic consultant. "Obviously, she knew. While she's the victim, she clearly didn't stand in the way of the cover-up."cite news
title = Wife blasted for keeping Edwards affair secret
url = http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/08/26/elizabeth.edwards.ap/index.html
date = 2008-08-26
accessdate = 2008-08-26
publisher = CNN]

On August 12, 2008, a friend of Rielle Hunter's, Pigeon O'Brien, told CBS News that Edwards had lied about the time line of the affair. She claimed that the affair began in February 2006, six months earlier than the time Edwards hired Hunter to start working on his political action committee and when he claimed the affair had begun. O'Brien also stated that the affair was not a brief liaison, but a mutual, committed relationship based on love, or so Edwards led Hunter to believe. [cite video | title = Edwards Account Challenged | medium = internet video | publisher = CBS News | date = 2008 | url = http://www.webcastr.com/videos/news/Edwards-Account-Challanged-Webcastr.html]

On August 13, 2008, Hunter's sister, Roxanne Druck Marshall, gave an interview to CBS in which she personally apologized to John Edwards' wife for her sister's behavior, and also claimed that Edwards had lied in his confession because the affair was of longer duration than he had said and was still ongoing. Marshall also stated her opinion that in the days after the story broke, Edwards provided Hunter and her baby with a new and secret location in which to live, to prevent media reporters from finding her, and she called upon Edwards to tell the full truth about the affair. [cite video | title = Edwards' Ex-Mistress' Sister Pans Both: Says Her Family Is "Very Upset," And She Feels Most For Edwards' Cancer-Stricken Wife | medium = internet video | publisher = CBS News | date = 2008 | url = http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/13/earlyshow/main4347468.shtml]

An August 13, 2008 article from CBS News stated, "CBS News legal analyst Mickey Sherman told Early Show co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez Wednesday Edwards might be in legal jeopardy if it could be shown the funds were used for purposes other than the ones they were meant for. 'If you raise money to run for (office),' Sherman explained, 'and if you take that money that people have contributed to you based upon the fact that they think their money is going to a presidential candidate, and you give it to a girlfriend of a God-knows-what ... that's a crime.'" [ [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/13/earlyshow/main4347059.shtml Report: $$ Still Flows To Edwards' Ex] , CBS News, August 13, 2008]

Also on August 13, 2008, the New York Daily News reported that, when questioned about the affair by reporters, Mimi Hockman, Hunter's partner in the Midline Groove video production company, "said the contract they signed with John Edwards had a 'hefty' confidentiality clause that bars her from talking." [ citenews | title=John Edwards is the daddy, Rielle Hunter pal sez |author=Celeste Katz, Soo Youn and Helen Kennedy | url = http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/08/12/2008-08-12_john_edwards_is_the_daddy_rielle_hunter_.html | work=New York daily News | date=2008-08-13 | accessdate=2008-08-13] Two days earlier, on August 11, 2008, Hockman had been questioned by reporters from the Star-Ledger at her home. According to reporter John Mooney, "Mary 'Mimi' Hockman [told reporters] 'Don't waste your time. [...] I'm contractually prohibited from talking to you.'" [ citenews | title=Jerseyan brushes off questions on Edwards turmoil |first=John last=Mooney | url = http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1218429329297600.xml&coll=1
date=2008-08-11 | accessdate=2008-08-13]

Later commentary on news media coverage decisions

On August 18, 2008, David Carr, news media columnist for "The New York Times", wrote that while "The National Enquirer" can be inaccurate, its revelations about the Edwards affair were a service to the public: [Carr, David, [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/18/business/media/18carr.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=business&pagewanted=print "The Enquirer: Even Scandal Can Be News"] , "The Media Equation" column, Business section, "The New York Times", August 18, 2008, retrieved same day]

:"There are some stories, especially ones that occur in the bedroom, where mainstream media outlets sometimes can’t venture — or at least they can’t find it in themselves to lead the charge. But it would be hard to argue that the body politic is not enriched by the recent revelations that Mr. Edwards is not who we thought he was, even balanced against the many stories the Enquirer gets wrong. (Even in his confession, Mr. Edwards wrinkled his nose and suggested that the allegations had originated with "supermarket tabloids", as if the method of conveyance absolved him of the deeds described.)

Birth certificate

On August 1, 2008, the "Enquirer" published an article naming Hunter's child. [cite news |title=EDWARDS' HU$H MONEY TO MISTRESS |url=http://www.nationalenquirer.com/john_edwards_huh_money_to_mistress/celebrity/65226 |work=The National Enquirer |date=2008-08-01 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] Mainstream news organizations subsequently obtained a copy of the birth certificate, [cite web |url=http://www.newsobserver.com/content/media/2008/7/31/birth%20certificate.pdf |title=Birth Certificate, Frances Quinn Hunter |accessdate=2008-08-03 |author=State of California |date=2008-03-04 |format=PDF ] and confirmed that a girl had been born at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital on February 27, 2008. The birth certificate listed the mother's name as "Rielle Jaya James Druck"; the child was given the surname "Hunter"; no father's name was listed. Media reports linked the Druck and Hunter surnames on the birth certificate to conclude that the mother was Rielle Hunter; they also noted that the child was born approximately two months after Young's claimed paternity had been announced by Hunter and Young. [cite news |title=Charlotte Paper Obtains Birth Certificate for Alleged Edwards 'Love Child' |url=http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003834282 |work=Editor & Publisher |date=2008-07-31 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] [cite news |title=Mainstream Media Reports On Edwards Sex Scandal |url=http://www.raleigh3.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=1&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=1078&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=2724&hn=raleigh3&he=.com |work=The Raleigh Telegram |date=2008-08-01 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] When questioned about the omission of the father's name from the birth certificate, Hunter's attorney said "A lot of women do that" and that the issue was "a personal matter" between Hunter and Young, before declining to comment further.cite news |first=Lisa |last=Zagaroli |title=Birth certificate of child linked to Edwards lists no father |url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/100/story/46066.html |publisher=McClatchy News Service |date=2008-07-31 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ] [cite news |first=Lisa |last=Zagaroli |coauthors=Perez, Lorenzo |title=Birth record for child lists no father |url=http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/1160737.html |work=The News & Observer |publisher=McClatchy Newspapers |date=2008-07-31 |accessdate=2008-08-02 ]

In late July and early August 2008, news outlets reported that Edwards was avoiding further questions from reporters about the "Enquirer" claims. [cite news |first=Lisa |last=Zagaroli |title=Why isn't John Edwards answering reporters' questions? |url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/46030.html |publisher=McClatchy Newspapers |date=2008-07-31 |accessdate=2008-08-04 ] WCNC-TV, a North Carolina television station, said that Edwards' political career was "effectively frozen" pending resolution of the allegations.

Payments to Hunter and Young

Frederick Baron, Edwards' campaign finance chairman, later told NBC News that he had been providing financial assistance to both Rielle Hunter and Andrew Young without Edwards' knowledge. He further stated that no campaign funds were used.cite news |first=Chuck |last=Todd |coauthors=Popkin, Jim |title=EDWARDS FINANCE CHAIR DENIES HUSH MONEY |url=http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/08/08/1257224.aspx |publisher=NBC News |date=2008-08-08 |accessdate=2008-08-09 ]

Reactions

In August 2008, senior figures in the Democratic Party warned that Edwards' failure to respond to the allegations could affect his role at the 2008 Democratic convention. According to Don Fowler, former Democratic National Committee chair, "If there is not an explanation that’s satisfactory, acceptable and meets high moral standards, the answer is 'no,' he would not be a prime candidate to make a major address to the convention." Gary Pearce, who ran Edwards' 1998 Senate race, said "It's a very damaging thing. ... If it's not true, he's got to stand up and say, 'This is not true. That is not my child and I'm going to take legal action against the people who are spreading these lies.' It's not enough to say, 'That's tabloid trash.'"cite news |first=Mark |last=Johnson | title = Tabloid's claims threaten Edwards' role at party's convention|publisher=McClatchy Newspapers|date = 2008-08-06|accessdate = 2008-08-06| url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/104/story/46637.html] Edwards' admission that he engaged in an affair came less than a day after these warnings were published.

Former congressman David Bonior, Edwards' 2008 presidential campaign manager, stated: "Thousands of friends of the senator's and his supporters have put their faith and confidence in him, and he's let them down. They've been betrayed by his action." Asked about Edwards' future in public service, Bonior further stated: "You can't lie in politics and expect to have people's confidence."cite news | url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jfOq80s0bbfh1UP_b8x29EsWTXAwD92EE1VO0 | title=Edwards admits he had affair after heated denials|author=Pete Yost | publisher=Associated Press | date=2008-08-08|accessdate=2008-08-09]

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