Staff Reports
The Maine Senate race just turned into a cautionary tale for voters and a mirror held up to the national press. Graham Platner has suspended his campaign after a Politico report alleging a former partner accused him of sexual assault. At the same time, MSNOW contributor Molly Jong‑Fast — in comments widely shared on social media — said reporters had been “sold a character arc” by Platner’s team. The collapse, and the media’s role in it, deserves blunt scrutiny.
Platner’s campaign implodes after a Politico bombshell
Politico published an exclusive reporting that a woman who dated Graham Platner says he forced her to have sex after she told him to stop. Platner publicly denied the allegation in a campaign video but then announced he was suspending campaign operations. The fallout was swift: prominent Democrats pulled endorsements and the DSCC said it would not invest if Platner remained the nominee. What looked like a competitive challenge to Senator Susan Collins is now shattered into a scramble for damage control.
MSNOW’s Molly Jong‑Fast: “Sold a character arc”
In a moment of rare media self‑scrutiny, Molly Jong‑Fast told audiences — in remarks circulated on social platforms — that journalists were “sold a character arc” by Platner and his team. In other words, reporters were fed a story of redemption and change and leaned into that narrative instead of pounding on the obvious red flags. Those red flags weren’t tiny: past Reddit posts, sexting controversies, and a chest tattoo widely identified with extremist imagery had already prompted questions. The clip of Jong‑Fast’s line went viral because it cut to the guilty heart of the problem: the press loved the story more than the facts.
Why reporters looked the other way
There are reasons, and none of them are flattering. Newsrooms chase access, scoops, and the power of a “big” race. A narrative about a reformer moving left and threatening Susan Collins made for good copy and easy cable TV. Verification is a real constraint, sure, but when several prior controversies were public or easily discoverable, the softer coverage looks less like caution and more like hopeful advocacy. Call it access journalism, call it partisan optimism — the result is the same: voters were denied the full picture until a blockbuster allegation made them face the hard truth.
Lessons for voters and for the press
Voters should expect better. Political coverage must be honest, skeptical, and immune to the siren song of a convenient narrative. The press should stop alternating between being the smartest people in the room and the most gullible, depending on who they want to help. For Republicans and conservatives watching this unfold, the immediate task is practical: make sure replacements are ready and hold media outlets to account for sloppy vetting. For the national press, a little humility and a lot more digging would be good — because the next “character arc” might not end with a suspension, and the cost to voters could be far higher.
