Reply to comment

Although I think I read that Carol Burnett did successfully sue the NE many years ago over a report that she was intoxicated on an airplane, the NE would probably not run huge political stories such as this one and the Edwards story without (1) photos, (2) reliable eye witnesses and/or people close enough to the subject of the story to have heard inside information, and (3) ESPECIALLY A POLYGRAPH of any such potential witnesses. Knowing a probable lawsuit would follow, and by a person(s) with very deep pockets who could fund legal bills of that magnitude, and knowing the potentially high punitive damages that could result if a jury believed that a lucrative, high-profile career was destroyed by falsehood, I believe the NE would be very, very careful. If it chooses to proceed in the face of any such threat (if that threat did indeed actually occur), it may just be that the NE is quite confident in its sources and its investigation. It also has the budget to fund a very thorough investigation, a higher budget than most law enforcement agencies and "mainstream" publications.