Why a liberal blogger is chasing the Edwards-Hunter affair story

Edwards at a South Carolina campaign stop in January. (Photo: Michael Czerwonka / EPA)

Much has been made, and many hands wrung, about how the blogosphere showed up the "old media" on the Edwards affair story, and the widening (or is it closing?) rift between the two media paradigms.  But the Web is full of rifts, too, and an ongoing inter-blog dogfight has showed that the liberal blogosphere is not of one mind on the story, either.

In his July 27 Huffington Post piece about John Edwards' affair with Rielle Hunter, "Say It Ain’t So, John: Why Progressives Need to Get Out in Front of the John Edwards Affair Rumors," liberal blogger Lee Stranahan called himself "a citizen journalist whose main claim to fame is producing satirical comedy." Stranahan argued that even though the mainstream media had been silent after the National Enquirer broke the story, "the progessive blogosphere is ignoring this story at its own peril because it's going to be big."

It was the most popular piece on HuffPo for two days. It also caused Stranahan to be banned from the liberal blog Daily Kos, whose users decided they did not like Stranahan's insistence on discussing unflattering news that originated in the National Enquirer. “The enquirer has NEVER broken a legitimate ‘real’ news story in their existence,” one commenter wrote, and the site's founder, Markos "Kos" Moulitas Zuniga, seemed to agree.

The no-Edwards-affair strategy earned the site the trust of Elizabeth Edwards, at least: after Edwards confessed, Elizabeth Edwards chose Daily Kos as the place to post her statement asking for privacy. After that Kos himself posted a diary in which he thanked his users for holding back on the Edwards story: "It's actually you guys who have created and nurtured this incredible community, one that made it easier for one of the most amazing people on this planet to deal with the roughest of times" he wrote.

But Stranahan was still angry about being shunned by fellow lefties for, as he sees it, pursuing the simple truth. He complained on his own blog that Kos users had been uncivil and closed-minded, calling him "the worst kind of so-called journalist" and "an idiot opportunistic jerk."

He told me that he e-mailed Moulitsas asking to be reinstated, but he did not hear back.

I e-mailed Moulitsas to ask about the ban. “I don’t know who Lee Streehan [sic] is," he replied, "but my community decided they didn’t like him, and they’re usually right about such things.” (On his blog, however, Stranahan points out that Moulitsas called one of his videos "the best parody video of 2007.") 

So Stranahan, who works by day at Access Hollywood and has been an editor and writer for art and tech magazines, decided to take the "citizen journalist" thing a step further. With the mainstream media moving slowly to uncover the full story of Edwards' involvement with Hunter and with Andrew Young, the former campaign worker who has claimed to be the baby's father, Stranahan has put himself on the story.

“I was genuinely surprised that I got banned from Kos,” he said. “I just wrote an editorial. Now I find myself doing hard reporting." Although no other liberal blogs have joined Kos in shunning him, he feels he has a lot at stake in figuring out the details of the Edwards affair that are still cloudy. "Suddenly my reputation is tied in to the outcome of this story," he said.

He may be angry, but his mission has turned out to involve what looks like good old-fashioned Encyclopedia Brown-style fun. Any aspiring "citizen journalist" who has ever gotten obsessed with a hole-filled news story can surely relate. Stranahan has talked several times to the Enquirer staffers who worked on the story, he said, and visited the Beverly Hilton, trying to retrace Edwards’ steps on the night he was confronted by an Enquirer reporter. With so few mainstream reporters at work on the story, he has appeared on MSNBC -- whose studio is conveniently located near his Access Hollywood office -- to talk about it..

On Monday, Stranahan posted some original reporting on the case, presenting evidence that Andrew Young has a criminal record. “Public records searches reveal a history of criminal charges and convictions that paint a potentially different picture of Young than that of a typical campaign worker,” Stranahan wrote. He posted a scan of what looks like a rap sheet on Young for a "beer on city property" misdemeanor on July 21, 2006.

So far, no mainstream news organization has picked up Stranahan’s reporting on Young. But, he told me, he’s decided to continue to investigate Edwards’ affair because getting to the bottom of the story is the only way to win back his good leftie name.

Kos, meanwhile, is holding fast to his story that he did not know who Stranahan is. "Given that there's nearly 200,000 registered users," he wrote, "I don't know who this Strahan [sic] guy is, and I don't care who he is."

UPDATE: Fox News has a story today that includes the information about Young's criminal record  that Stranahan had in his Monday post. They do not credit Stranahan.

-- Maria Russo

Comments

[harkin]

"but my community decided they didn’t like him, and they’re usually right about such things.”

Is there a better example of the herd mentality at Kos? And coming from Moulitsas himself.

First the cleansing of the Hillary backers and now banishment for questioning the Edwards coverup.

The lefty thought police strike again.

[Anon]

The media should also investigate Overlawyered's discovery of Andrew Young's unusual real estate profits.

[BDG]

It seems strange that Stranahan thinks that further pursuing this story will "win back his good leftie name". It was his initial interest in the story that got him banned. Does he think the Kossaks care about any truth he may unveil more than they care about suppressing it?

[Jim,MtnViewCA,USA]

re: Andrew Young, there is this interesting tidbit
http://overlawyered.com/2008/08/the-rielle-hunter-scandal-where-did-andrew-young-get-his-money/

[Buford Gooch]

Kos is a typical leftie. Deny, deny, deny. "I don't know the man. Never heard of him." Probably airbrushed him out of some pictures as well.

[brett]

What incentive does Kos have to be truthful, accurate, or fair? Better to let his rabid herd of morons, which is making him rich, feel vindicated.

[Karen]

I am surprised Kos and Edwards didn't say that the National Inquirer is racist. It seems to be the only thing liberals can spew out of their mouths.

[Matt]

Kos misspells Stranahan's name twice in his emails. Different ways both times in a way that almost seems like he did it intentionally. He knows who the guy is and is trying to make it seem like he doesn't so people won't think he had anything to do with banning the guy. BDG has it right above. The lefties at Daily Kos have little interest in the truth. What they care about is partisan politics, end of story.

[Lee Stranahan]

Hi everyone. The internet is fun because I get to post on a story about me. There are some real good people at DKos but the first time I head any reaction from Kos himself is when I read this story. The spelling my name wrong thing is something I noticed, too...I'm beneath him.

Here's how banned I am - I posted something using a friend's account. Stated clearly who I was, didn't comment - just posted a story. They banned my friend.

And they are talking about me. Some positive, more negative and insulting.

http://www.dailykos.com/search?offset=0&old_count=30&string=Stranahan&type=comment&sortby=time&search=Search&count=30&wayback=20160&wayfront=0

[kcom]

Sorry, dude. You're out. Better pick a new path in life cause you ain't going back. It might get you thinking about other things, too.

[Sunflower]

Kos misspells Stranahan's name twice in his emails. Different ways both times in a way that almost seems like he did it intentionally. He knows who the guy is and is trying to make it seem like he doesn't so people won't think he had anything to do with banning the guy. BDG has it right above. The lefties at Daily Kos have little interest in the truth. What they care about is partisan politics, end of story.

Posted by: Matt | August 14, 2008 at 04:53 PM

Exactly, which makes KOS establishment,..which everyone knows he was all along. He's in for the MONEY people, and money he has made off you angry, disgruntled leftists.

Here is a clue.

Anyone asking for you money - in movies, for a movement - measure 2ce., The left blogs are in it for the mullah.

[David Ross]

Kos is not a forum of like-minded political junkies; it's a clearinghouse for a power faction. Markos's vision for the Democrats is Lenin's vision for the All-Russian Congress of Soviets - a coalition of far-Left factions where people beholden to him are in charge.

[pluck]

Daily Kos is a liberal version of right-wing attack sites like Free Republic. They all stifle dissenting voices.