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Al Gore, Mel Gibson, and the Media

By Jeffrey Lord on 7.13.10 @ 5:29PM

Instructive.

Two men -- two high powered superstars of their respective fields -- get in trouble.

The first, is Al Gore.

Next up is Mel Gibson.

What interests here is the media reaction to their respective cases.

Need it be said that just about anybody who has heard the Gibson tapes is appalled? Yow. This is a man who appears to need serious -- big time serious -- help. Quite irrespective of what's left of his career, to talk as he has on this tape -- to anyone, let alone the mother of his child -- is…well, words fail.

But quite aside from whatever fate will befall Mel Gibson, something curious happened here. What all of us know to this minute about Mel Gibson in this particular situation comes from the release of an obviously private tape recording. Whoever made it is beside the point. It was a private phone call. It was taped. It was obviously provided to the media. And bam! With the speed of a shark spotting prey, this private tape was everywhere.

Contrast this with the incident not long ago with Al Gore, discussed at TAS here and here.

In the Gore case you have no private tape. In fact, no private anything. What you have is a police report -- which is to say public property -- from the Portland, Oregon Bureau of Police. Saying on this quite official report, which bears the names of more than one police detective -- that a massage therapist has made an allegation of, in the words of the report, "SEX ABUSE III"

The point?

The quite private tape of actor Gibson was reported before you could say Lethal Weapon. The quite public police report of Al Gore……sat…and sat…and sat…with the Portland Tribune "investigating" and saying when the National Enquirer scoops them years later -- that would be years later -- that they couldn't seem to prove anything. They needed to verify, they needed this, they needed that. Etc., etc., etc.

Was there a solitary reporter in the Gibson incident who had proof of anything beyond unbelievably bad behavior on a private tape? Obviously no, or we would be hearing about it by now. No one spent a micro-second detailing anything. There was no Gore-like police report. They just took a private tape and ran with it.

What's at work here are two men who have been reported to have done something seriously wrong. Both are famous, both powerful. The allegations -- domestic violence for Gibson and "Sex Abuse III" for Gore -- if true, are a serious career problem for each. Quite possibly more than that for Gibson.

Yet there is one, tiny discrepancy here in terms of the media.

Mel Gibson is no "conservative" in the political sense of the word. He is well known as a very "conservative" Catholic -- which is to say to the extent he is identified for his views and not his films, the identification is for his religious faith.

Mr. Gore, obviously, is identified for his liberal political views and is a famous left-leaning environmentalist.

One case is made public at light speed. The other sits untouched for years, and when eventually exposed to the light is handled with kid gloves if at all by the mainstream media.

Both incidents are, however, news on the face of it. Yet only one was instantly reported as such. Why might that be?

Just asking.

View all comments (36) | Leave a comment

Nate| 7.13.10 @ 6:47PM

Mr Lord,

I'll be appalled when the allegations against Gore have some evidence behind them. Right now there is a woman who's story has some weird holes in it (so many that the police declined to investigate further) and who has offered no evidence to support her accusation. She waited a while to make this accusation, and the whole thing seems a little shady. While the DA seems to have bowed to pressure to reopen the case, no one has any good reason to believe the charges. I'm not even asking for proof beyond a reasonable doubt to be appalled; I'd just like some little piece of proof to back up what a woman who stands to make BIG money in a lawsuit is saying.

As for Mel Gibson -- those tapes seem to leave not much in doubt. He's clearly a violent, racist jerk. He's a great film maker and a great actor, and I admire much of his work. But he's a foul-mouthed bully, and I'm pretty confident it's the truth to say so.

Alan Brooks| 7.13.10 @ 9:33PM

"Whoever made it is beside the point. It was a private phone call. It was taped. It was obviously provided to the media. And bam! With the speed of a shark spotting prey, this private tape was everywhere."

Linda Tripp did the right thing, too. Clinton and Gibson, two very famous, animalistic ("raped by a pack of n*****s") men cut down to size.

Alan Brooks| 7.13.10 @ 9:37PM

...PS,
I like Clinton as a politician (Lincoln's personal lack of real warmth comes to mind), but IMO there's no doubt he date-raped Juanita Broadderick. He got her drunk or high and did a Polanski.
In your minds, would you put it past Slick for one nanosecond.

Nobama| 7.14.10 @ 1:17PM

Clinton didn't just rape her the violent bastard bloodied her lip and told her to, "put some ice on it."

Clinton's a creep.

Jeffrey Lord| 7.13.10 @ 7:50PM

Nate...

The point is not whether the stories have holes.

The point is the tapes of Gibson and the police report of Gore exist. Which makes them news - not, in either case, some sort of particular truth that convicts or fails to convict in a court of law.

I have no idea what the scoop is with either guy. What goes on with Mel and Al in private is their business. But when a journalist knows for a fact the tapes exist and the police report exists - and has them - this would be news. Journalists are supposed to report facts. Those are facts.

As a matter of fact, a new Gibson tape surfaces as I write and I'm listening. To the ear he sounds drunk. Was he? Beats me. Does the tape exist? Yes. Which makes it news. Just like a police report.

That's all I'm sayin'.

Nate| 7.13.10 @ 8:58PM

Fair enough. You're probably right on this one. I'm all for printing the Gore story, but I think that it seems like a different kind of story -- one that journalists may be holding off on for reasons other than mere bias in favor of Gore. (If I remember correctly, this country spent the entirety of 1998 on a single news story about a Democrat.) What Gore could have been thinking letting this woman get anywhere near him is beyond me, and the fact that we might have had him or Edwards as president causes me extreme physical and mental discomfort.

One thing I'll promise you about Obama: you'll get no bimbo eruptions or sordid tales out of him. Obama is a decent man, and -- despite what is said of him around here -- has a temperate and even conservative character.

Margie| 7.14.10 @ 1:25PM

"One thing I'll promise you about Obama: you'll get no bimbo eruptions or sordid tales out of him. Obama is a decent man, and -- despite what is said of him around here -- has a temperate and even conservative character."

I think I am going to be sick..

Occam's Tool| 7.14.10 @ 12:27PM

You're right, Mr. Lord, news is news. Both of these men are scumbags for many reasons, and both should have been slammed in the press. Gore got away with it because he is a "Green Saint." That's wrong.

Carter| 7.13.10 @ 8:14PM

Jeffery,

Mel has publicly said that he wasnt a consevative or republican. he has even praised Michael Moore's work. Either way Al Gore recieved just as much attention without an explosive tape.

Because it was suppose to be private does that mean you condone it?

Alan Brooks| 7.13.10 @ 10:12PM

Finally, a voice of reason (and you're more eloquent than I am. Please talk some sense into these Grand Old Potatoheads and libertopians before they steer us into another Bush presidency.

Occam's Tool| 7.14.10 @ 12:30PM

Alan: agree with you on Obama's sex drive. Disagree with you on his other character points. Man started his career in the home of clearly marked and labelled terrorists.

I don't want a Bush Prseidenccy. I want a guy who is Ron Paul on financial issues and Guiliani on foreign issues. Actually, except for his pro-choice views, I love Guiliani. And those wouldn't make stay home and not vote for him.

Missy| 7.13.10 @ 8:31PM

Gibson's a threat to his ex-girlfriend; AlGore is a threat to humanity.

I'll take a drunk Mel Gibson over a pompous ass AlGore any old day.

Margie| 7.14.10 @ 1:28PM

Missy,

You do have a point there. Although I truly think Mr. Gibson is in dire need of help. I'm praying that his friends and/or family do an intervention for him. Without it, I think he's a danger to himself and others.

Jeffrey Lord| 7.13.10 @ 9:02PM

Carter....

"Because it was suppose to be private does that mean you condone it? "

Whoa Nelly! I'm not in the business of eavesdropping on private citizens to decide whether what they are doing in their home is something I condone or not. That's why we have a police department that responds to private complaints.

The issue here is news. That's it. That's all. The Gore report did definitely not receive just as much attention. It's been sitting silently for a few years. Only now is it getting attention.

What is the time-lapse from the moment the first reporter heard the Gibson tape and released it to the public? Nowhere that I can find is there information that these tapes coming out are several years old, as was true of the Gore police record.

Carter| 7.14.10 @ 12:38PM

Jeffery,

First, it was a simple question. But you don't have to answer it.

Second, Al Gore's situation has received more attention than Mel Gibson. Look at the timeline below of internet trends.

http://www.google.com/trends?q.....amp;sort=0

Either way, how is the issue here the news when it was the Portland Police Bureau that decided not to let the public know about the police report not a news organization?

And if the issue here was the news like you said, seeing that you are a journalist who has worked for several news organizations why didn't you do the investigative reporting into it?

Nate| 7.17.10 @ 6:51PM

Why didn't the thousands of liberal reporters do their job? Lord's a political reporter--not a regular news reporter.

SoCon| 7.13.10 @ 9:11PM

Mel Gibson needs good medical care, but most of all, Mel Gibson needs God.
Shame on him for his outrageous behavior.

Alan Brooks| 7.13.10 @ 10:16PM

But those Jews who use Palestinian child blood for their matzoh, and fabricated the Holocaust...

Why, they ought to make their skin into lampshades!

Nobama| 7.14.10 @ 12:30AM

Hitler was a socialist--like you, Alan!

bluecollarbytes| 7.13.10 @ 10:08PM

Mel made Passion of The Christ, against all conventional resistance, including ridicule from 'the hip' in Hollyweird. He's not all bad. How much of what he ranted is real and how much is drunken rage, who knows? Plenty of "good people" (in man's eyes) have closet problems, addictions, and some rage when drunk. Put it in perspective. It doesn't mean his actions are excused or that he doesn't need to take responsibility for them, but no one knows where Mel's at but Mel.

al-Gore is the real threat, and not just to the occasional masseuse. He possesses the power of influence that Mel could only dream about, influence that has us all as the targets.

Alan Brooks| 7.13.10 @ 10:23PM

"How much of what he ranted is real and how much is drunken rage, who knows?"

Bluecollarbytes, we know many Jews are liberals, just write it and get it over with. Don't worry, even a moderate such as Lieberman will never be prez or
veep. There was Disraeli, but Victoria was Queen then.

Jews have been made good doctors, tailors (and lampshades), but not presidents.

L. Ross| 7.14.10 @ 12:15PM

Alan, you have totally lost me on this non sequitur. Bluecollarbytes made no mention of Jews. What is going on in your head?

Susan| 7.14.10 @ 1:12PM

Nothing.

Richard Aubrey| 7.14.10 @ 8:03AM

Gibson provided something else several years ago.
On a day, a Muslim nutcase shot up a Jewish community center, wounding six women and killing one.
Same day, Gibson got arrested for drunk driving and taped giving the arresting officer a drunken rant.
The first situation disappeared under endless news of Gibson's behavior.
What's news? Depends.

Jeff Perren| 7.14.10 @ 2:37PM

Excellent post, Mr. Lord, and unassailable logic. Hence, the knee jerk rationalizations from the usual suspects.

Well done, sir.

Noel B| 7.15.10 @ 1:40AM

Al's fortunes could change if the breaking news holds up that the semen on Ms. Hagerty's pants -- the ones she held up under the sensational headlines on the Enquirer cover -- holds up. Did the Enquirer get snookered?

**Paper Explains Decision to Decline Al Gore Story
Allegations Of Sex Abuse Emerged Last Month
POSTED: 6:46 pm PDT July 14, 2010
PORTLAND, Ore. -- A newspaper that was the first to find out about allegations of sex abuse against former Vice President Al Gore 3 ½ years ago said it didn't print an article because its reporters thought the alleged victim's story lacked credibility, according to an article published this week.
The National Enquirer broke a story last month detailing a Portland woman's accusations that Gore groped and kissed her during a late-night massage session at a downtown hotel in 2006.

An article in this week's Portland Tribune stated reporters, acting on a tip, began investigating the allegations in early 2007 and discovered the alleged victim, Molly Hagerty, filed a police report.

Reporters also discovered Hagerty failed a polygraph test and had a history of falsely accusing people of mistreating her, according to the article.

Hagerty told the tabloid she had Gore's DNA saved on a pair of slacks, the article states, but admitted that tests determined the stain was not semen.

Tribune reporters and editors said they also questioned Hagerty's recollection of the alleged events, which contributed to their decision to not run the story.
http://www.kptv.com/news/24263736/detail.html

Rod| 7.15.10 @ 1:41PM

I want the news media to uncover and show me the truth, and don't care where they got their information. That is what the press is supposed to do. It may be hard for some to accept the fact that a former Hollywood darling is an anti-Semitic womanizing prick. I personally find it amusing given that folks deified him so much after The Passion came out.

Interloper| 7.15.10 @ 4:53PM

Clinton's a violent rapist--why won't your beloved press investigate this little matter?

Hypocrite much?

Noel B| 7.16.10 @ 3:12AM

Excuse me, Interloper? Where did that come. Do you not remember when NBC gave Ms. Broaddrick a full-length news program to air her charges? Are you seriously claiming that the press did not investigate the Clinton rape charges?

How does that compare to the rape charges that Selene Walters lodged against Ronald Reagan, and the press dropped in two days or less in both 1991 and 1999? Yet her charges, telling friends etc. are very similar to this woman's charges against Gore. I really can't understand what you are talking about. And how do you read into Rod's comments that the press is "beloved" to him?

Interloper| 7.16.10 @ 5:27PM

Give me a break, Broaddrick was treated like a pariah by the press! You're lying about the Reagan matter, too; how convenient that you just pull it out of your rear end right now. Clinton was a known serial philanderer and ho-bag--not true about RR.

Willy Nilly Clinton was protected by the LameStream Media from the beginning: The old horndog should never have been elected in the first place. Clinton's ugly trail of sexual harassment, countless illicit sexual affairs before and after he was elected POTUS and charges of rape proved that he didn't have the moral fiber to be POTUS.

Clinton's a disgrace to the Presidency and our country; he left a permanent stain on the office and Monica's blue dress.

Interloper| 7.16.10 @ 6:29PM

---Office---

cornbox| 8.19.10 @ 1:55AM

Lying? Hardly so. Ronald Reagan WAS accused of raping an actress name Selene Walters in 1952. Walters had an entire page in People Magazine on April 29, 1991. That was an issue devoted exclusively to Reagan, and the people that interacted with him prior to Reagan getting into politics. Yes, Selene Walters accused Ronald Reagan of raping her in 1952. You are the liar, right winger.
Also, on December 2, 2002, Margie Schoedinger, a resident of Fort Bend County Texas, filed a rape, and sexual harassment lawsuit against George W Bush. The media totally blacked it out. Nine months later, in September, 2003, Margie, they say, committed suicide.
That is the God Give Truth, right winger. But you only want to know about politicians raping women only if it involves liberals. Right Winger, you are a liar.

Noel B| 7.17.10 @ 12:23AM

Words of advice to Interloper:

Read first, conjecture much later. Selene Walters did tell how Reagan raped her. Did he? Who knows? But the charge was there just as with Gore. "He did" but "he didn't" because you hate the politics of one of them? Be a mensch, not a schmuck. Hit Gore on his real weakness, the bombast of his movie.

Don't grasp at any sensational tabloid charge, especially when we discovered today that the famous alleged semen in the ziplock bag that she held up on the Enquirer cover tested negative for semen and is more like ranch dressing or mayonnaise.

And please folks, no more "Well, that scum leftist paper, the Portland Tribune, covered all this up and refused to run it because of their buddy, Al Gore." Wake-up call. We here in the Northwest laugh at that added conjecture because we know that the Tribune is owned by The Pamplin Media Group and The Reverend Bob Pamplin and was started to offer a conservative counterbalance to the more liberal Oregonian. Pamplin also owns KPAM and airs talk shows sucb as Michael Savage.

Come back when you're ready to converse as a person with basic knowledge. The Enquirer (nailed John Edward, so they must be right about Gore!) feeds on people who leap to conjecture before they leap to a good book.

Interloper| 7.17.10 @ 12:47AM

Notice of advice to Noel:

Try reading my comments before you commence with your silly and irrelevant lectures. I didn't mention Al Gore--you did.

Even a liberal knee-padder like you don't have the nerve to try and defend the disgusting horndog Clinton. Pathetic stooge.

If AlGore is innocent, why did Tipper throw his fat ass out? She obviously knows something YOU don't. LOL!

Mimi Schaeffer| 7.17.10 @ 2:29PM

The Al Gore story wasn't reported because there was no credible evidence. Period. And it looks as if they media was right all along. The lady with the non-existent stain failed a lie detector test.

Johnny| 7.17.10 @ 6:48PM

The gold-digger's phone tapes were doctored and illegally taped without Gibson's knowledge or approval--they are not admissible in court and she should be prosecuted.

The LameStream Media is to blame once again for falsely attacking a conservative.