Politico Reporter, Defends Todd Akin Then Removed

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/20/david-catanese-todd-akin_n_1813728.html

Politico editors have removed David Catanese from coverage of Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) following the reporter's defense of the congressman's comments about victims of "legitimate rape" not getting pregnant because their bodies will "shut that whole thing down."

John Harris, editor-in-chief of Politico, said in a staff memo on Monday that Catanese "crossed a line a reporter shouldn't cross on Twitter when he seemed to weigh in on the merits of Todd Akin's comments -- especially in a way many people, including many POLITICO colleagues, understandably found offensive."

"Dave's tweets on Akin created a distraction to his own work, and to the newsroom as a whole," Harris continued. "They also made himself part of the story, requiring us for now to remove him from Akin coverage."

On Monday morning, Catanese returned to Twitter and addressed the controversy in which he had embroiled himself around midnight the day before. "Bad idea trying to have nuanced conversation on highly charged issue on here," he wrote. "Did not intend to take a side. Lesson learned."