Ed Jew: The Britney Spears of Local Political Coverage

In both cases, each tiny new detail provides a backdrop for repeating the full range salacious allegations.

Clearly, extorting funds from prospective tapioca store operators and running for office in a city where one is not a resident, are serious charges. And when a politician is charged with both extortion and electoral fraud, this is news. But Ed Jew does not hold the balance of political power in San Francisco. His vote is only one of eleven, and has not made a difference on any important issue. And while the media focuses on Jew, it ignores stories that more directly impact San Franciscans. These include stories about why a skyline-transforming 100-story Transbay Terminal building is moving forward with little public support, how the city’s working families are coping with rising rents, or why the city’s crime wave is escalating.

Celebrity gossip is a huge business, and the public loves hearing inside scoops about politicians. But whereas Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan are followed by paparazzi and have huge followings, and Idaho’s Larry Craig is a United States Senator, excessive reportage on an otherwise obscure San Francisco Supervisor seems driven more by journalistic boredom than a desire to sell papers.

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