IN MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE EPSTEIN CASE, THE CHIPS WON'T JUST FALL -- THEY'LL BE PUSHED

Fox News spots a tweet from Nancy Pelosi's daughter, who has a prominent position in the Democratic Party:

Christine Pelosi, a Democratic National Committee official and daughter of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, warned conspicuously on Saturday evening that it is "quite likely that some of our faves are implicated" in the "horrific" sex-trafficking case against politically connected financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Here's the tweet:

This Epstein case is horrific and the young women deserve justice. It is quite likely that some of our faves are implicated but we must follow the facts and let the chips fall where they may - whether on Republicans or Democrats. #WeSaidEnough #MeToo https://t.co/2mvskwQwW1

— Christine Pelosi (@sfpelosi) July 7, 2019

Epstein has been linked to both Bill Clinton and Donald Trump. I'm content to be rid of whoever might be implicated on our side, and I think most rank-and-file Democrats who are following the story agree -- Anthony Weiner and Al Franken are gone, as well as former attorney general Eric Schneiderman here in New York State, and the response, for the most part, is that they deserved their fate. If Bill Clinton is implicated, fine. Let him get what he deserves.

But if both Democrats and Republicans are implicated, the coverage won't be equitable. The mainstream media might show balance, but Fox and other right-wing sources will focus exclusively on the Democrats. In much of America, Fox sets the tone of debates. Where Fox dominates, this will be seen as a Democratic scandal even if Republicans are identified as participants.

On the other hand, it's unclear whom Pelosi is addressing. She's a Democratic insider. When she talks about "our faves," she might be talking to fellow party insiders about donors most civilians don't care about. I won't be upset if fat cats who give to Democrats are exposed as pedophiles any more than I was upset when Democratic donor Harvey Weinstein was exposed as a serial rapist. Good riddance to all of them.

A Forbes story notes that soon-to-be-released documents could be misread:

The court advised the documents be read carefully. “We therefore urge the media to exercise restraint in covering potentially defamatory allegations, and we caution the public to read such accounts with discernment,” wrote the court in its decision.

If the documents muddy the distinction between Democrats who merely socialized with Epstein (as bad as that is) and Democrats who engaged in sexual activity with underage girls, Fox and the rest of the right-wing media will take full advantage of the ambiguity.

One branch of the media will try to play fair in reporting this story. Another will act as a wing of a political party. The guilt may be widely distributed across the politcal spectrum, but much of the coverage won't be.