On the Ensign Affair, Fox Dropped the Ball

What? Did somebody think they were a news network?

By Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, June 19, 2009

Fox News passed up allegations that Sen. John Ensign had an extramarital affair with his former campaign treasurer, even after receiving a letter from the woman's husband detailing the relationship.

After the Nevada Republican acknowledged the affair Tuesday, a Fox producer failed to tell his bosses that he had the letter from Douglas D. Hampton, also a former top aide to the senator, and Fox never reported it. The Las Vegas Sun disclosed the letter's contents today.

"Sometimes a ball gets by," said Tom Lowell, senior producer of Fox's "American Newsroom." "This one got by." It was, he said, "my mistake."

Hampton had written to the program's co-anchor, Megyn Kelly, saying he was not giving the information to any other news outlet. Lowell said his primary concern was protecting Kelly, who "has any number of people who have stalked her."

(More here.)