Edwards' "hometown" paper still silent on LA tryst, "love child"

If you haven't been following events related to the National Enquirer's July 21 story concerning former Sen. John Edwards' tryst at the Beverly Hilton with his former filmmaker Rielle Hunter, see here, here and here.

Moving on - - -

Former Sen. John Edwards lived for many years in Raleigh before building a 30,000 sq. ft. house in Chapel Hill.

Edwards has had a long and useful relationship with the McClatchy Company's liberal/leftist Raleigh News & Observer, which Edwards often calls "my hometown newspaper."

The N&O endorsed Edwards in 1996, the one time he ran for the U. S. Senate. It also endorsed the Kerry-Edwards ticket in 2004.

Throughout his public career, the N&O's given Edwards the kind of "isn't he fantastic" treatment it now gives Sen. Barack Obama.

For his part, Edwards has usually been very available to N&O reporters, columnists and editors, even seeking them out at public events. He's on a first name basis with many of them.

He's also been known to visit the N&O's S. McDowell St. offices to "lather up" political reporters and senior editors, a process the N&O journalists describe as "providing background and answering our questions."

All that's FYI. So is the following email. I'll let you know what, if anything, I hear back from editor Drescher.

John
_________________________________________________


John Drescher
Managing Editor
Raleigh News & Observer

Dear Editor Drescher:

Why has the N&O so far told readers nothing about the detailed and extensively documented National Enquirer report of Sen. John Edwards’ tryst at LA’s Beverly Hilton Hotel with his former filmmaker Rielle Hunter?

As you know, the NE states unequivocally Edwards and Hunter met in one hotel room while a friend of Hunter’s looked after what the NE says is their “love child. The paper also names witnesses who saw Edwards at the hotel including two of its reporters and the man who drove Hunter and the child to the hotel.

The NE also reports security agents for the Beverly Hilton escorted Edwards out of the hotel shortly after 2:40 AM in an effort to shield him from reporters.

I published on the N&O’s silence in this post: N&O silent on Edwards affair story.

This post - NE's Edwards-Hunter tryst story's verifiable - demonstrates how easily Edwards-supporting liberal/leftist newspapers such as the N&O could seek to verify or refute the story in part or in whole.

This post - A journalists take on Edwards' tryst, MSM reluctance to report, & more - links to National Review’s Byron York’s column in The Hill which also talks about how easily MSM organizations like the N&O can confirm or disprove in part or in whole what the NE has reported.

Edwards, whom you and others at the N&O know well, would be the most important person to interview.

Have you or anyone else at the N&O asked Edwards for an interview?

If not, why not? If you have, why haven't you reported his responses?

Has the N&O even asked Edwards whether he was at the Beverly Hilton the night the NE says he was chauffeured there in a BMW and entered the hotel wearing a blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

Has the N&O done anything about the NE's the report a resident of Chapel Hill’s Governors Club, Andrew Young (not the former civil rights leader) has claimed he’s the child’s father, and that Hunter and the child have stayed in a separate dwelling at the club.

The NE reports its sources say Young claiming paternity is part of an elaborate cover-up engineered by Edwards.

What has the N&O learned about any of that?

What does Edwards say? And is he willing to submit to simple DNA testing so questions regarding the child's paternity can be put to rest?

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

I look forward to your response, which I’ll publish in full at my blog.

Sincerely,

John in Carolina

PS Did you hear two reporters have today filed a criminal complaint against certain of the hotel’s security employees? That means LAPD will have to interview Edwards as a witness.