Alleged Madam's Bureaucrat Clients: Not Newsworthy

This may be one time when bureaucrats may actually appreciate being treated like nobodies. On Friday, ABC News 20/20 aired its report on the list of names given to the network by Deborah Jeane Palfrey, who is on trial for allegedly running a prostitution ring. According to a Washington Post account, 20/20's Brian Ross said the list included a federal prosecutor who recently died, several military officers, and a NASA official. So why weren't they outed, like the two other people whose names have been made public? Because "their names won't mean anything to our audience," Ross said. "They just weren't newsworthy enough."

At one point, Ross was hot on the trail of someone who had told the escort service he was a White House economist. When it turned out he actually worked for the Treasury Department's Office of Thrift Supervision across the street from the White House, the network left him alone.