New York Adult Entertainment: Lost in the Woods
Reporting on extramarital relations or sexual misconduct is admittedly a tricky business; by definition, one or both parties would prefer to keep the news quiet. But journalists have been able to establish sexual misbehavior among the famous and powerful before. Colorado Sen. Gary Hart’s relationship with Donna Rice came to light in 1987 when two Miami Herald reporters saw her emerging from Hart’s house early one morning; they later obtained a picture of Rice sitting on Hart’s lap. Florida Rep. Mark Foley’s leering messages to a young congressional intern were substantiated by transcripts obtained by ABC News. New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s visits to a call girl were confirmed by a federal wiretap investigation that was unearthed by the New York Times, which won a Pulitzer for its reporting. The smoking gun in Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky was a stained blue dress. South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford’s undoing came after a reporter for the State newspaper spotted him in the Atlanta airport, a week after he disappeared for what his aides had said was a hike on the Appalachian Trail.