I find it interesting that now that Pagegate has broken, some of the blogs are saying, "yeah, well, we knew about this."  Ok, but you didn't report it.  That's your prerogative.  But P.P. had the ya-yas to break it as far as he felt comfortable, which, I am sure, spurred on the "real press" in South Dakota to finally report what they knew. 

These are serious allegations.  Should they have been brought forward sooner to the people and the press?  Yes.  I think it is not out of line to ask why did the "real press" sit on the story.  I'm not wild about serious allegations being made against a state senator from my party who I think has done a pretty good job and as far as I know is a decent person.   My dealings with Dan have always been very positive.   But the press has an obligation to report what it knows and can support via the facts (the Argus' pre-GOP convention hatchet job on Bill Sahr notwithstanding.)

As a former working journalist, I know that sometimes you get part of a really good, juicy story but can't run with it because you can't completely confirm important details.  But to deliberately sit on a story--to "spike it" as it's called in the business--is just wrong.  

By law and elections we can do something about the lack of open government in our state.  What might be the tougher assignment is establishing transparency of the mega-corporations that control our state's newspapers and air waves.  As a former political insider, I can tell you that there are always agendas at work.  Sometimes they are in the public interest, sometimes not.  But in my opinion, It is not a Democrat leaning blogger's obligation to reveal something like this unless they wish to be both completely independent from and ostracized from the party.  That is what the 4th and 5th Estates of our state (the press and the electronic media) are supposed to do.

This whole episode with Sen. Sutton, the high school aged page, and the legislative leadership will play out in a very important drama.  Hopefully, it will play out with openness, fairness and respect for due process.  But the other issue may be the trickier one--did our state press sit on this story and if so, why?