A headline on ABC News’ website on Tuesday attempted to draw a contrast between presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Carly Fiorina, and did so by referring to Fiorina as “the other woman” in the race.
“How Carly Fiorina Deals With Being the ‘Other Woman’ in the Presidential Race,” the headline said, encassing “other woman” in quotes, though the body of the story does not quote any source who uses the term.
The only other time the term is used in the story is when the author, Jordyn Phelps, refers to Fiorina, a Republican, as “the only other woman” in the race. “The other woman” is a phrase generally used in reference to a woman who is having an affair with a married man.
Clinton’s marriage to former president Bill Clinton has been the subject of widespread media attention, especially since 1998, when the president was found to have had an affair with then-White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
John Brodigan, a conservative blogger, questioned the propriety of ABC’s headline.
“ABC is really using ‘the other woman’ in reference to Hillary?” he wrote on Twitter.
Matt McDermott, who works at the progressive political affairs firm Lake Research Partners, wrote, “Good lord, that’s offensive.”
Responding to the apparent slight at Fiorina’s candidacy as a mere foil to Clinton’s, a spokesperon for Fiorina campaign told the Washington Examiner media desk that the “liberal media” would “do anything to distort Carly’s record and dismiss her candidacy.”
Representatives for ABC and the Clinton campaign did not respond to requests for comment.
