Liberal Blasts Washington Post Reporter

Courtesy of NewsMax.com Insider

Washington Post reporter John Solomon is single handedly seeking to torpedo the candidacy of former Sen. John Edwards, according to a liberal critic.

Writing on the left-wing Alternet Web site, Alexander Zaitchik asked, "Can One Reporter Take Down a Presidential Candidate? John Solomon Is Trying to Find Out."

Wrote Zaitchik "The overblown 'controversies' over John Edwards' $400 haircut, hedge fund work and real estate dealings are largely the product of one reporter at the Washington Post who hides his grudges behind 'fair and balanced' journalism.

Zaitchik zeroed in on Solomon's profile of hair stylist Joseph Torrenueva, as one proof of the Post reporter's alleged vendetta against Edwards.

"The Torrenueva profile didn't offer 'some kind of commentary' on the state of American politics so much as it offered insight into the peculiar priorities of its author, Post money and politics reporter John Solomon."

Zaitchik goes on to cite numerous Solomon stories dealing with Edwards, all accurate and well-researched and all legitimate criticisms of some of John Edward's activities such as his less than savory role in his consulting work in 2005 and 2006 for a hedge fund, his sale of his Georgetown home for $5.2 million or $1.4 million more than he paid for it in 2002.

"Although practically dripping with innuendo that Edwards had been involved in a sleazy land deal with known criminals and then lied about it, the article noticeably failed to contain any dirt. The article basically reported that Edwards had bought a house in D.C.'s booming real estate market, fixed it up and sold it three years later for a profit. The banality of these facts did not stop Post editors from placing the article above the fold, alongside the latest news from Iraq."

He ends his screed by warning, "If Solomon can keep getting away with his brand of ‘fair and balanced’ journalism, John Edwards and the rest of the presidential candidates are in for some trouble as the primary race heats up this fall."  Web page view