Where is the Media Now?
By The Editorial Board
In 2018, the Democrats in Congress subjected Brett Kavanaugh to ruthless, soul-battering interrogation and intimidation in response to a single, uncorroborated testimony. For months, the mainstream media dragged the Supreme Court nominee’s name, character, career, and family through the mud over a claim of sexual assault that lacked circumstantial evidence and credibility. As of Sunday, a total of five women have accused Democratic New York Governor and COVID-19 response ‘hero’ Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment. Yet, the difference in press coverage between Justice Kavanaugh and Governor Cuomo could not be more stark. While the media launched a smear campaign against Kavanaugh, its reporting of the Cuomo drama has been predictably cursory and half-hearted. The press’ selective treatment of sexual assault and weaponization of the #MeToo movement exposes its strategic political maneuvering to preserve power for the Democrats.
The liberal media’s response to the allegations against Governor Cuomo shows the same double standard applied to President Joe Biden over the Tara Reade development. So far, the media has lent far more mercy and airtime to Cuomo’s explanation of the events in question than Brett Kavanaugh or Clarence Thomas ever received. And the former judges each had one accuser. Governor Cuomo has five. With each accusation bearing a strikingly similar tone, the claims against Governor Cuomo are increasingly easier to believe. But as conservatives, we know a mere feeling doesn’t automatically make the governor guilty. Rather, that judgment must be determined via a proper investigation.
In the eyes of the law, the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty. This is an essential component of American civil due process and a privilege afforded to all citizens. It’s a common-sense legal mechanism that is designed to insulate the legal process and the accused from the fervor and manipulation of public opinion. The press and the Democrats have allowed Cuomo to keep his presumption of innocence until an investigation concludes otherwise. Yet Kavanaugh and Thomas were pronounced guilty by the Democratic media machine long before evidence was presented and defense mounted. So what’s different about the Cuomo case? Governor Cuomo is a Democrat.
When former administrative aide Lindsay Boylan shared her harassment claims against Cuomo, which included an uncomfortable invitation to strip poker and an unsolicited kiss on the lips, CNN, MSNBC, ABC’s “World News Tonight,” CBS’ “Evening News” and NBC’s “Nightly News” neglected to cover it in their programming that day. As the Democrat-backed media shielded Cuomo instead of pursuing justice, their frequently-invoked refrain and supposed standard, “believe all women,” rings painfully hollow. While the Kavanaugh hearing was designed as a loud spectacle to destroy another conservative appointee, we’re meant to believe that the Cuomo scandal is nothing but a sideshow. Rather than adhere to a higher standard of integrity and accountability, the mainstream media seems to only expose and decry sexual scandal when politically advantageous for the Democratic party. The #Metoo warriors only show up when a Republican is on trial.
When the Democratic media opposition searched for incriminating dirt on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, sexual harassment was seen as a grand opportunity to shout moral outrage from the #Metoo soapbox. Now that the charge has been levied against a powerful Democrat official, there’s apathy from the media. The same condemnation and scrutiny usually accompanied by marches, protests, and 24/7 news commentary are missing from the picture now. Between Bill Clinton’s escapades, Tara Reade’s charges against Joe Biden, and now Andrew Cuomo’s predation, the media has a long history of covering up sexual abuse to protect the Democratic party.
Politics is a dirty game, and both parties engage in it. However, when it comes to sexual assault, the stakes are decidedly higher. While #Metoo publicly disposed of scumbags of all political affiliations and occupations, it had ramifications on the micro level. Workplace sexual harassment is a threat to all women. Every woman deserves to go to work in peace and be judged on the merits of her work. However, the #Metoo movement’s political machinations threaten to undo this progress. When a double standard exists, a single standard of action can’t be agreed upon. Even worse, when uncorroborated testimony is taken as fact when corroborated testimony is ignored, the validity of any testimony is undermined. For the sake of women fighting private battles against sexual harassment, consistency is critical.
While the media has released Cuomo’s victims’ stories amidst the controversy, none have demanded Cuomo’s resignation as they did Kavanaugh and Thomas. Despite backlash even within his own party, Cuomo has refused to resign, claiming it would be “undemocratic.” After praising Cuomo as the pandemic management poster boy, the media itself is reluctant to damage the governor’s and its own reputation. They did, after all, award him an Emmy.
If all women are to ‘be believed’, that standard needs to apply to all situations regardless of political affiliation. Or, we can all agree that accusations should prompt an investigation and a judgment based on its findings. We can all agree that claims of sexual harassment should be examined carefully while also affording those who stand accused their right to due process. These are not mutually exclusive. One thing is for sure, though. Republicans have historically been deemed culpable based on a single accusation while Democrats run free facing five. That’s demeaning to both the issue of sexual assault and women.
