10 of 11 Arrested in NJ Probe Democrats, But Media Avoids Party Labels

September 10th, 2007 4:02 PM

So, 10 of the 11 New Jersey officials arrested last week on bribery and corruption charges were Democrats? Where's the establishment media outcry about a Democratic "culture of corruption" in the state?

A criminal probe targeting elected officials operating at most levels of government in New Jersey resulted in the arrest of 11 public officials and one private citizen last week. All 12 suspects have been charged with taking cash payments in exchange for influencing the distribution of public contracts, according to the criminal complaints. As part of the investigation, the FBI created an undercover insurance brokerage firm to offer bribes through undercover agents. The suspects are accused of accepting payments ranging from $3,500 to $32,000.

Although the scandal has been widely reported, a Nexis search indicates the establishment media have been unwilling to link the alleged criminal infractions with the Democratic Party. A Nexis search by CNSNews.com shows more than 30 media citations using innocuous phrases such as "public officials" instead of "Democratic Party officials" or a similar label.

What's up with that? When a lone Republican like Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) gets caught up in a scandal, it's portrayed by the media as proof of widespread hypocrisy and corruption among conservatives.

But, I thought that journalists were supposed to be fair and balanced...