To start this post, I will go over a little background information. The first allegations arose in December 2020, when President Joe Biden was reportedly considering Cuomo for attorney general. At the time, Cuomo was still widely regarded as a hero for how he managed New York’s pandemic response. (This was before he was embroiled in another scandal over underreporting COVID death tolls in nursing homes.) On Dec. 11, Lindsey Boylan, a former aide to Cuomo, tweeted at Joe Biden, writing: “If you make this man attorney general, some women like me will be bringing the receipts. We do not need a sexual harasser and abuser as ‘the law,’ of the land.” Her allegation received little attention until Feb. 24, when she published an essay alleging that the governor made persistent sexual comments when she was his employee and kissed her without her consent. Since then, more women have come forward accusing the governor of inappropriate behavior and sexual harassment.
The headline for the Fox New Article read: "Cuomo apologizes but won’t resign as he denies touching anyone 'inappropriately': 'I am embarrassed’, 'I now understand that I acted in a way that made people feel uncomfortable,' NY governor says." The article then goes on to say that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo apologized for his past behavior following allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior by three women during a news conference on Wednesday. The article emphasized that he is telling reporters that he is "embarrassed" by his actions and will cooperate with the New York attorney general's investigation of his conduct. The Fox New article includes a variety of direct quotes from Cuomo like "I now understand that I acted in a way that made people feel uncomfortable. It was unintentional and I truly and deeply apologize for it," and "I feel awful about it and frankly I am embarrassed by it." The article then highlights how Cuomo went on to say that he "never knew at the time I was making anyone feel uncomfortable," that he has "learned an important lesson," and "will be the better for this experience."
Contrastingly, the headline for the NBC News article reads: "Top N.Y. lawmakers call for Cuomo to step down after he says 'no way I resign'- State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said they are "drawing away from the business of government." The article then goes on to explain that hours after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo refused to resign as new allegations of inappropriate behavior arose, a group of the state's top Democratic lawmakers questioned his ability to lead the state. The article included quotes from State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins stating, "We have allegations about sexual harassment, a toxic work environment, the loss of credibility surrounding the Covid-19 nursing home data and questions about the construction of a major infrastructure project," and" New York is still in the midst of this pandemic and is still facing the societal, health and economic impacts of it," she continued. "We need to govern without daily distraction. For the good of the state Governor Cuomo must resign."
The articles differ in the tones used when addressing the allegations. Fox News focused on Gov. Cuomo and his feelings and downplays his actions, while NBC focused on how top leaders felt about the accusations. Fox News leaves readers with the feeling that the governor potentially may have been wrongly accused, where as NBC focused on the possible consequences of his actions and strongly focuses on the opinions of other government officials calling for him to resign.
UPDATE: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who's currently in his third term, has now been accused of sexual harassment or misconduct by nine women. The allegations have triggered an outside investigation, calls for resignation from high-ranking Democrats, and an impeachment inquiry from the State Assembly. Eight more women have come forward with allegations of workplace sexual harassment or misconduct. The allegations vary in severity, with one accusation of groping made by an unidentified woman on March 10 potentially reaching “the level of a crime,” according to Albany police.
Sources:
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/cuomo-speaks-ny-lawmakers-call-for-resignation-impeachment
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/two-more-women-accuse-andrew-cuomo-inappropriate-behavior-n1259896
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