Within minutes of posting a long story on Sen. John McCain’s ethical blindspots Wednesday evening, The New York Times’ Web site was gathering hundreds of comments. Although the thrust of the story was an examination of the Republican candidate’s mixed record on moral and ethical choices, that’s not what most readers will take away.
The story begins and ends with an anecdote about McCain’s close friendship with lobbyist Vicki Iseman eight years ago during the senator’s last bid for president. Quoting mostly unnamed and few named sources, The Times paints a picture of campaign staffers freaking out at the possibility that McCain was having an affair, blocking Iseman’s access to the senator and eventually confronting her in D.C.’s Union Station.
No one in the story alleges the two actually had a romantic affair. Every source interviewed suggests that their concern was as much the appearance of Iseman’s frequent presence on the campaign trail, and at events. Most of the people posting comments to the story accuse The Times of speculation and rumor-mongering.
To be fair, the story is long and includes many other examples of McCain’s questionable judgment. But as the story is repeated today across the country, all that context will disappear. It will go from a nuanced portrait of the candidate’s shortcomings to “The New York Times today reported that eight years ago, John McCain’s campaign staffers were so concerned about his relationship with this woman, (flash picture of blonde, smiling Iseman, looking beautiful and wearing an evening gown) they blocked her access to the senator and eventually confronted her in Union Station.”
The Times’ story is about McCain’s contradictory nature. But leading and ending with the most salacious example of that contradiction guarantees that as the story is retold today, it will become a question of whether McCain had an affair.
If that’s what the story is really about, does The Times have an obligation to address it more directly?
The paper reports that “Mr. McCain, 71, and the lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, 40, both say they never had a romantic relationship.”
But The Times provides no context for either denial. Did the paper ask both the senator and the lobbyist directly if they had sex? Under the circumstances of this story, would such a direct question be appropriate?
The Times reports that McCain called Times Executive Editor Bill Keller to complain about the paper’s inquiries. When? What else did the senator say to the editor, and what did Keller say?
Where should the reporting go from here?
