Presse editors suppressed scandal coverage out of faith in the Moses myth.
Evidence
The Times story on Manhattantown did not mention Robert Moses once. The other papers followed suit. His name was hardly mentioned; no editorials called for his removal. There might have been scandal in Manhattantown, but Manhattantown’s creator was unscathed by it. … Not one investigative reporter was assigned to probe further into Manhattantown or Title I. Some reporters wanted to, but were refused permission, in some cases probably because of their publishers’ admiration for Moses, in most cases simply because it seemed to editors a waste of time: where Moses was involved, they felt, there would be no scandal to be found; trying to find it would be a misuse of manpower that could be more profitably employed investigating politicians or bureaucrats. The creators of the Moses myth believed in what they had created. The myth still glowed, as strong as ever—with a glow that blinded New York to the shabby reality of what was going on on the Title I sites. — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 4043
Categorization
- XREF: connects to: Moses’ power rested on hiding behind popular causes so his ruthless methods stayed invisible. — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 1851; A legendary reputation can shield corruption from press scrutiny. — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 4036; Smith was insulated from reports of Moses’ abuses by a compliant press — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 1154 (+3 more)
Broader Connections
- Officials suppressed rumors by hunting their source rather than their truth
#exemplifies(0.85) - Freud suppressed a story about Turks’ resignation to death in his famous example.
#complicates(0.80) - Belief in conspiracies and suppressed facts enabled Christian distortion of Muhammad.
#expands(0.75) — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 1377