MUTH’S TRUTHS

By tomorrow morning, everyone in the state will know that the Governor and First Lady are having some difficulties in their marriage. But unless or until someone can show me how such a difficult, personal, private problem effects the Nevada state government, I’m leaving it at that.

On the other hand, many Republicans are going to be jumping all over the mainstream media for reporting on this story. Before you jump on that bandwagon, you should know some facts. And the fact is many reporters, columnists and responsible bloggers in the mainstream media knew about the rumors of a possible Gibbons divorce at least a WEEK ago. So did I.

But not one of them reported on the rumors until a Gibbons-hating liberal, Las Vegas blogger wrote about it yesterday afternoon. And even then, not one mainstream newspaper that I’m aware of ran with the story this morning, despite the proverbial cat being out of the bag. That’s responsible, professional journalism - and it showed an admirable level of restraint over a story I’m sure all of them were dying to break.

So then, why did this story begin showing up on mainstream newspaper websites this afternoon, and will be in every print newspaper tomorrow morning?

Not because of the liberal Las Vegas blogger. Or even because another Gibbons-hating Washington, DC, blogger also jumped on the story like a dog on a bone today. But because of Gibbons’ co-chief-of-staff Diane Cornwall (sorry, but I refuse to play this game of calling her the “Chief Operating Officer”). For some inexplicable reason, Cornwall officially confirmed the blogging rumors earlier this afternoon, thus opening the story to the mainstream media which otherwise had kept a lid on it out of respect for the Gibbons family.

As Patrick Coolican of the Las Vegas Sun now reports, Gibbons’ son is scheduled to arrive home from the Merchant Marine Academy this weekend. “Clearly the family had planned to keep the story quiet until then,” wrote Coolican.

But Cornwall, incredibly, opened Pandora’s box by confirming the meeting to Reno Gazette-Journal reporter Anjeanette Damon. “I don’t know that those conversations (about a divorce or separation) are going on. I believe there is a family meeting this weekend to make a determination as to what is going to happen.”

Once a GOVERNMENT official from the Governor’s office made a statement about this very personal problem between the Governor and First Lady, all bets were off. And that’s why this story is now all over Nevada before the family had the opportunity to discuss and resolve it in private this weekend.

What in God’s name was Cornwall thinking? Has she never heard the phrase, “No comment”? Apparently not. Perhaps she’ll rectify this inexcusable action by uttering two other simple words: “I resign.”

So Republicans, when you see the Gibbons family problems plastered all over Page One of tomorrow’s newspapers, don’t blame the mainstream press. Let’s be honest: The fact that the Governor and First Lady are discussing a possible divorce or separation is newsworthy. Period. But had it not been for Gov. Gibbons’ loose-lipped staffer, the story probably wouldn’t have been made public until after the Gibbons family had an opportunity to discuss and work it out in private this weekend.

I’ll be the first to admit that there is often liberal bias in media reporting when it comes to Republicans. This isn’t one of them. At least as far as breaking the story is concerned. How some of them handle it now that it IS in the public domain is another thing altogether. But up to this point, kudos all around.

Posted on February 28th, 2008 by Chuck Muth
Filed under: Nevada