But, Mr. Mehlman, gay or straight, is entitled to as much privacy regarding his sex life as the media has determined all fairly prominent public figures are entitled - about zero. Remember the Kerry rumor?
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One reporter had a little girl call up, assuming I wouldn’t hang up on a child. They even made her say, “Can I talk to Alex?” And when I said, “Yes, it’s me,” a reporter jumped on the line. CNN’s Zain Verjee wrote beseeching notes, slipping them under the front gate. It was like a horror movie where the zombies are on the other side of the door and then an arm comes through the window. Stuck with Kerry’s denial, each of the American networks had hired a local fixer to approach me for a big sit-down. “Tell me it’s true and we’re on the next plane to Nairobi!” ABC’s Chris Vlasto e-mailed hopefully. Good Morning America, the Today show, CNN, and 60 Minutes all offered me airtime to tell my story. Editors whom I’d been begging for work were now clamoring for my attention.
Alexandra Polier wasn't anything close to a public figure, and based on nothing the media didn't blink about dragging her into the spotlight. While Mick the Hack thinks it would be wrong to print private information such as someone being (his words) "gay, or twisted" that "would cause them to commit suicide," Hack and ilk gleefully chased this non-story down, absolutely unconcerned about its impact on the parties involved.