If an elected official in the United States, at any level, promises to "rip apart" six year old rape victims, then describe in vivid detail how their lives would be ruined, one would assume such a statement would lead the news. But it did not.
Following up on D.S. Hubes post on the local media coverage, Massachusetts State Representative James Fagan (D) voiced his opposition to Jessica’s law requiring stiff mandatory sentences to child rapists. As a defense attorney, Fagan promised if such a law were in place and victims assume the stand "I’m gonna rip them apart." Fagan continued "I’m going to make sure that the rest of their life is ruined, that when they’re 8 years old, they throw up; when they’re 12 years old, they won’t sleep; when they’re 19 years old, they’ll have nightmares and they’ll never have a relationship with anybody."
Despite such inflammatory rhetoric, Fox News was the only major news site to cover it. All of the other major news sites, CNN, ABC News, and CBS News, opted instead to cover for Mr. Fagan. The search on MSNBC displayed a brief blurb of the controversy, but no correct link that leads to an article.
Why do the crickets chirp for such a story? Could it be that this state assemblyman is a Democrat? Are they more concerned about protecting Democrats than they are young children? Would this make the headlines if a Republican politician said such a remark?
Former Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL) became a household name, and arguably sealed the Republicans’ fate in 2006, largely because, as the Media Research Center documented, the mainstream media endlessly covered his creepy instant messages to House pages. Although sexually explicit conversations to 16 and 17 year olds is indefensible and warrants extensive coverage, should a pledge to "rip apart" six year olds deserve at least some attention?
