Words devoted to the Mary Cheney “story” in the Washington Post over the past three days: 1,099
Words devoted in the Washington Post over the past three days to the fact that the president’s top political aide testified before a federal grand jury on Friday as part of an ongoing criminal investigation of the Bush White House: 438
The New York Times’ ratio was even worse. The manufactured Mary Cheney flap has generated 3,074 words since Saturday (from two news items and two op-eds) in the paper of record; Rove’s testimony’s received 813 words.
Meet the Press, meanwhile, devoted 1,055 words to Mary Cheney yesterday; Rove’s grand jury testimony wasn’t mentioned at all.
The Washington Post even polled on the Mary Cheney “story” on Friday (64% said Kerry’s comment was “inappropriate”). There were no questions in the poll about the ongoing criminal investigation of the White House.