Mainstream media finally jump on Edwards' affair

NEW YORK — The mainstream media's near-silence about a tabloid report that former presidential candidate John Edwards had an extramarital affair with a campaign worker ended abruptly Friday when .

The cable news networks immediately pounced on the story, broken by the supermarket tabloid National Enquirer last year but largely unaddressed by major news organizations until Edwards' admission. Fox News, CNN and MSNBC all ran extensive coverage of the scandal throughout the afternoon, while the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times and the Washington Post immediately posted stories about the controversy on their websites.

While several newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, were trying to pursue the story of Edwards' affair, the sudden burst of attention Friday after he confirmed that he had a relationship with Rielle Hunter, who produced documentaries for his campaign website, was a marked contrast from the way news organizations tiptoed around the original reports.

The Enquirer first published a story in October about a relationship between Edwards and a campaign worker, quoting unnamed sources. Edwards denounced the report as "completely untrue" and "ridiculous."

The tabloid pressed on, reporting that Edwards had fathered a child by Hunter. Two weeks ago, it published a detailed story about a nighttime visit the former North Carolina senator paid to Hunter at the Beverly Hilton, where he was confronted by Enquirer reporters in the lobby.

The Enquirer's stories caused waves in the blogosphere but got little bounce from major print publications or television networks, which largely steered clear of the allegations.

Edwards ultimately admitted the affair Friday in an interview on "Nightline" with Bob Woodruff, who covered his 2004 presidential bid. He maintained that he was not the father of Hunter's daughter.

David Perel, editor of the Enquirer, said he felt vindicated.

"It's good to see public acknowledgment that our story was accurate all along," he said.

Edwards' confession appeared timed for minimal exposure, coming on a Friday night when many viewers would be watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

But the news immediately triggered a wave of anger and disappointment on Internet message boards, along with pointed condemnation of the press.

"Probably the biggest question about this whole mess is why the mainstream media protected Edwards by ignoring the story for the past 8 months," read one typical comment on ABC News' website.