Les Jones

Media Behaving Badly > Charlotte Observer Scoops LA Times on Edwards Lovechild Birth Certificate

Charlotte Observer - Birth certificate for Rielle Hunter's child lists no father:

The birth certificate of a child who a tabloid newspaper claims is linked to former Sen. John Edwards doesn't identify a father.

The certificate, obtained by The Charlotte Observer today, shows Frances Quinn Hunter was born Feb. 27, more than two months after an Edwards aide claimed to be the father. Andrew Young, a former Edwards campaign finance director, claimed paternity in a statement from his lawyer posted at the political blog mydd.com.

The girl was born at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, Calif., to Rielle Jaya James Druck, also known as Rielle Hunter. Hunter, 44, was a videographer on Edwards' presidential campaign last year.

Asked Thursday why no father was listed on the birth certificate, Hunter's attorney, Robert Gordon of New York, said, “A lot of women do that.” Reminded that he and Hunter had publicly revealed the father's identity two months earlier to the National Enquirer, Gordon said, “That's a personal matter between them.” Gordon declined to comment further.

A newspaper on the other side of the continent with a circulation of 215,000 daily readers was able to track down the birth certificate. Yet the mighty LA Times with a circulation of 815,000 can't be bothered to do the same legwork even though the hospital is two hours from their offices. The LAT just got pantsed.

Hat tip to Ace of Spades.