Media coverage report on Reidgate

From MANN reader Ed:

DV Reformers –

Thought you’d be interested to see this report on media coverage of Reidgate. This information has also been posted at http://abusegate.mensnewsdaily.com/

Cheers,

Ed

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On February 22, Sen. Harry Reid stood on the Senate floor and declared, “Men, when they’re out of work, tend to become abusive.”

Sen. Reid miscalculated in making his remarks on a Monday, allowing the ensuing firestorm of ridicule and protest to rage for an entire week. Following is a summary of what happened, by the numbers:

1. Length of Sen. Reid’s Senate-floor gaffe: 25 seconds
2. Number of Google hits for “Harry Reid” and “sexism”: 204,000
3. Number of Google hits for "Groups Demand Sen. Harry Reid Apologize for Sexist Remarks" (title of Tuesday’s press release): 1,370
4. Number of Google hits for "Sen. Reid is Cherry-Picking the Research, Experts Say" (title of Wednesday’s press release): 940
5. Percentage of Nevada voters likely to vote for Harry Reid in November (Rasmussen Reports, Feb. 5): 39-41%
6. Number of apologies issued by Sen. Reid for stereotyping men as abusers: 0

Following are the awards for the past week’s media coverage of Reidgate:

• Most spirited defense: MediaMatters: “Right-wing media mock Reid for linking unemployment to rise in domestic abuse:” -- http://mediamatters.org/research/201002230026
• Blithest attempt to paper-over the existence of female partner abuse: Christian Science Monitor: “Harry Reid Links Unemployment to Rise in Domestic Abuse” -- http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2010/0223/Harry-Reid-links-unemployment-to-rise-in-domestic-abuse
• Et Tu, Brute? award: Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson: “Reid: Jobless men = domestic abuse. Is he saying we should be worried about Mrs. Reid after the November elections?" -- http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0210/Reid_spokesman_Thompson_wifebeating_Tweet_despicable.html
• Best political cartoon: RedState: “Soon-to-be ex-Senator Harry Reid: Arrested for fear of domestic abuse after he loses his job in November 2010” -- http://www.redstate.com/erick/2010/02/23/morning-briefing-for-february-23-2010/
• Largest audience: Russ Limbaugh: “Dingy: Jobless Men Beat Wives” -- http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_022310/content/01125111.guest.html (Weekly audience: Over 20 million persons)
• Funniest editorial: Andrea Tantaros, New York Daily News, “Harry Reid’s remarks making light of domestic abuse prove he needs a lesson tongue-fu” -- http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/02
• Most thoughtful editorial: Paul Elam of Men’s News Daily: “Reid Backpedaling with Media Help and Public Ignorance.” -- http://mensnewsdaily.com/2010/02/24/reid-backpedaling-with-media-help-and-public-ignorance/
• Best all-around article: Kerry Picket, Washington Times: “Leader Reid Distorts the Facts on Domestic Violence.” -- http://washingtontimes.com/weblogs/watercooler/2010/feb/23/leader-reid-distorts-facts-domestic-violence/?feat=home_blogs