Emails between disgraced South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford and his Argentinean mistress obtained by The State Newspaper have been published online today, despite the newspaper having obtained the emails in December 2008.

The emails, dated July 2008 clearly show Sanford was in love with his mistress, with the two making arrangements to meet and sharing sweet words. You can read the emails on The State website here.

Putting the Sanford scandal aside for one minute, there’s another serious issue here, and that’s the relationship between Sanford and The State newspaper. Why did a McClatchy owned newspaper sit on a big story like this for 6 months when they had hard evidence that the Governor was undertaking an affair, but better still (and here’s the public interest angle) was arranging to meet his mistress while on, or as an extension of public trips. The emails even include Sanford discussing a trip to see John McCain during the Presidential campaign. It beggars belief that the newspaper didn’t publish the story until now.

Likely yet another example of how the so-called free and fair mainstream media are nothing of the sort.