Following up on yesterday’s post, I find Gavin Newsom’s recent media attention interesting. His affair made the front page, above the fold, of yesterday’s San Jose Mercury News, and was covered on the local CBS news two nights in a row. I’m sure we could have a lively conversation about how or whether Mr. Newsom’s love life affects his leadership. Personally, I’m inclined to agree with Arianna Huffington; there are many more important and news-worthy events happening in the world today (global warming, Iraq, Iran, to name a few). Why spend air time and column inches on some sex scandal, the San Francisco mayor’s or someone else’s?

But what I find most interesting about media coverage of Mr. Newsom is that it tends to be typical of the way the media covers women in public positions. Case in point: the comments about whether he’s using mousse on his hair, and who he’s dating (San Jose Mercury News, March 2, 2006, page 1B).

Is it just that youthful, single, good looking men get the kind of coverage most women get? Or is it something special about Gavin Newsom?

Either way, it’s drivel.