It has already been decided that Greg Kelly, the Fox 5 morning anchor and son of NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly, will not be charged with rape, but the New York Post isn’t done with the story yet. All along, the tabloid’s focus has been on Kelly’s accuser, a woman in her late twenties who said she became pregnant and had an abortion after a drunken encounter with Kelly at the office of the law firm where she works. After being named by the paper yesterday, she makes the front cover today, along with the headline, “SHADY LADY: ‘Rape’ beauty could not remember sex with Kelly.” Yuck.
The Post has adamantly chosen sides, referring to Kelly as “popular” and teasing his “joyful return” to hosting Good Day New York. The woman, on the other hand, continues to be undermined by anonymous sources and snide descriptions.
The paper does report that her story to the district attorney “was consistent,” but notes accusingly that she will not be charged with making a false allegation because she “convinced investigators she genuinely believed Kelly took advantage of her — despite her failure to remember what happened.” The article begins in the Post’s typically callous tone, “She insisted she was raped — she just couldn’t remember actually having sex.” An unnamed source adds, “Not remembering is not tantamount to being raped.” The paper adds doubt by noting “the very low bar bill the two rang up” at their date prior to the alleged sexual encounter.
Last year, during the rape trial of two NYPD officers, the New York Times reported, “In a society that can be quick to turn a skeptical eye toward women who say they were raped — she was scantily dressed, she’s promiscuous, she’s just angry at him — prosecutors of sex crimes say one of their biggest obstacles in the courtroom is alcohol.” The woman in question this time has no jury to convince, and the Post has already made up their mind. This time at least, unlike yesterday, their bias comes with a disclosure: “[Kelly’s employer] Fox 5 and The Post are both owned by News Corp.”
