Why The Media Blackout Of Congressional Scandal?

News media keeping public in the dark about witness intimidation

As mentioned in my 17 June article, the media has been conspicuously not covering the congressional witness intimidation undertaken by Congressman Ed Markey.

To recap, I composed a brief email:

Why is the media silent about Congressman Markey's witness intimidation?

GOP members of Congress have accused Congressman Ed Markey of witness intimidation during the Waxman-Markey H.R. 2454 hearings.

Markey has admitted that, during testimony by dissenting witness David Sokol, Markey sent a letter to the FERC which would launch an investigation of Sokol, Warren Buffet and their company, MidAmerican Energy Holdings.

These are very serious charges, yet the media is completely silent on this matter.

Why?

That email was sent to these news organizations:

ABC News
Associated Press
BBC News
Bloomberg
CBS News
CNN Headline News
Fox News
NBC/MSNBC news
New York Times
NPR Morning Edition
Reuters
United Press International
Washington Post

The same day I threw in emails to the Wall Street Journal and two reporters who ran stories on the disgrace in the Salt Lake Tribune and the Omaha World-Herald.

I received a “read” receipt from the Omaha World-Herald reporter:

Your message

To: Morton, Joseph
Subject: Re: Sokol: Markey seeks to intimidate
Sent: Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:17:24 -0500

was read on Thu, 18 Jun 2009 05:49:57 -0500

Other than that read receipt, and the read receipt from the Associated Press along with the auto-replies mentioned in the 17 June article, I have received no correspondence or acknowledgements on this matter.

Save for an 18 June article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review there as been absolutely no coverage on this scandal in any news media I have been able to find since 13 June.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review had this to say:

Republican allegations that U.S. Rep. Ed Markey violated House ethics rules by intimidating a key witness -- who testified against the lawmaker's cap-and-trade scheme -- demands an investigation.

But even at that, the damage already is done…

Whatever the outcome, this ugly episode could chill future expert testimony to the truth: that cap and trade feeds the government's tax lust, exponentially drives up energy costs and does virtually nothing to reduce carbon emissions. A Heritage Foundation analysis finds it would increase electricity rates by 90 percent.

Candid congressional testimony that's followed up with a witch hunt only reinforces the fraud that is cap and trade.

Hear, hear.

So. It’s been 12 days since the scandal began, and 4 days since my emails to the major news media which merely served to confirm that they were, indeed, aware of the matter.

Not a peep from any major news organization: They all know about it and they are all remaining silent—apparently, lest you know as well.

I’ve said all I have to say about this in the previous articles, so I’m going to throw in a few quotes from Robert A. Heinlein which seem appropriate to the issue:

• Don't ask me why it was top secret, or even restricted; our government has gotten the habit of classifying anything as secret which the all-wise statesmen and bureaucrats decide we are not big enough girls and boys to know, a Mother-Knows-Best-Dear policy. I've read that there used to be a time when a taxpayer could demand the facts on anything and get them. I don't know; it sounds Utopian.
• A committee is the only known form of life with a hundred bellies and no brain.
• In a mature society, "civil servant" is semantically equal to "civil master."
• Love your country, but never trust its government.

I feel certain Heinlein wouldn’t object to my expanding that last quote:

Love your country, but never trust its government—or it’s media.

Update! Articles pertaining to the scandal may be found at these links:
Congressman Intimidates Congressional Witnesses
Congressional Witness Intimidation: David Sokol Video Interview
Is The Media Covering Up A Political Scandal?
Why The Media Blackout Of Congressional Scandal? (this article)
GOP Press Release On Congressman Markey Scandal
Congressional Scandal Videos: Sokol Testimony, Markey Apology