Culture Secretary John Whittingdale Caught in Prostitution Scandal

[Denzil_DC]

8. Well, stories like this can be handy,

as they give me an indication of what non-MSM outlets I may be able to trust in future. So far, Byline and Nick Mutch pass muster.

I really don't give a damn about public figures' peccadilloes unless they betray really blatant hypocrisy, exploitation or unconcensual violence, or evidence of undue influence one way or another.

Whittingdale's claims to innocence/ignorance may be truthful for all I know. But name me any other public figure where such a putative juicy scandal was known to the tabloids who wouldn't have been subject to a clickbaiting storm in a teacup with lurid headlines and picture spreads, especially if there was a hint of "kinky" sex to draw the crowds and serve as excuse for publishing salacious images.

That's the key part of this story to me - the interplay between Whittingdale and the media's interests in whether it was covered or not. Add in the potential for blackmail, and it stinks.