Monday, April 16, 2007

Herald-Sun: Biased to the End

The Herald-Sun remains faithful to its astonishingly biased agenda until the end.

The lead story on today's H-S website is headlined: "Racial Strain Factor in Cooper Declaration."

The first paragraph:
DURHAM -- State Attorney General Roy Cooper says the strains the Duke lacrosse case inflicted on Durham's racial climate played a role in his decision last week to declare the three defendants innocent of sexually assaulting an exotic dancer.
Yet Cooper said nothing of the sort in his interview with 60 Minutes. Here is the transcript, from the CBS website:
But the attorney general also announced he would not press charges against her for filing false police reports.

"Is the decision purely about her mental state or did you also take into account what this might do to this community which was already roiled in racial tension? Were you afraid that it would exacerbate more racial tension?" Stahl asks Cooper.

"We did consider it. We did talk about it. But we think in the best interest of justice, that it was not the right thing to do," Cooper says.
The AG said racial strain played a factor in deciding not to charge the accuser. He never said--or even came close to implying--that racial strain played any factor in how he or his office approached the decision to declare the players absolutely innocent.

Author credit for the H-S complete misrepresentation of the 60 Minutes broadcast: "staff reports." How fitting.

[Update, 1.46pm: At 12.44pm, the first two paragraphs of the article magically changed:
DURHAM -- State Attorney General Roy Cooper says the strains the Duke lacrosse case inflicted on Durham's racial climate played a role in his decision last week to not pursue false report charges against an exotic dancer who had claimed three Duke lacrosse players sexually assaulted her at a party.

"We did consider it [filing charges against the accuser]," Cooper said. "We did talk about it. But we think in the best interest of justice, that it was not the right thing to do."
The H-S website, at least, contains no mention of a correction. It simply has whitewashed its original, massive, misrepresentation.]

122 comments:

Unknown said...

I wonder if they are perhaps feeling cocky because of the press conference where the lawyer (I think it was Joe Cheshire) said that the Herald Sun would not be sued?

Anonymous said...

Having watched the interview, I'm stunned that even the H/S could come out with such and outlandish and intentionally misleading statement.

What a disgrace.

Anonymous said...

Duke and the Hurled-Scum have ties. Duke buys and distributes many copies on campus, though one still has to register to get online access, even when going through the Duke news portal.

Durham residents get free access to the Nasher, purportedly through sponsorship by the H-S (although I doubt Duke gets any money from the H-S for this).

Bob Ashley? Duke grad.

Wonderland indeed.

Anonymous said...

I watched the interview. He was asked if a number of things were considered re: not charging the accuser. His response, I believe, was intended to convey that they considered her mental state in not charging her. It was a poorly worded question and his answer could have been clearer. However, under no reading could one argue that he proclaimed innocence as the result of concern over racial tension. It's amazing to watch as those who own the printing presses continue to mis-state facts.

Thankfully, the printing press is no longer as powerful as it once was. This forum, among others, verifies that.

Anonymous said...

The fact that Crystal wanted the case to go to trial shows how completely out of touch with reality she is. The defense lawyers would have torn her to pieces and made mincemeat out of her conflicting stories. It also shows how dumb Nifong is that he would even consider putting her on the stand. In addition she would then be liable for perjury. Bob

Gary Packwood said...

History as Fast Facts

I don't expect much from fast food and I expect even less from fast facts.

Newspaper articles and TV talk shows are just white noise.

Give me content with chapters and an index so that I can see how the characters behave as actors in the ever evolving story of who we are as Americans.

Enough already with the fast facts.

GP

Anonymous said...

(Houston Baker)To whomever this email reaches:

My Mother was Claudia Tate, She was a Professor of African American Studies at Princeton. And I played Lacrosse in College at Harvard. I feel uniquely qualified to issue this statement.


The world awaits your apology. Those kids acts like idiots, as most adolescents do. Sprinting to judgment. Cancelling the season. Firing the coach. Stripping those kids of any sense of inclusion at that institution and showing them that you need not be African American to be presumed guilty. Yet no apologoy emanates.

I do not suppose that things are so simple at Duke. Nor do ignore your pressure and responsibilities. However, as an alleged Beacon of higher learning and progressive thinking, the bar had been raised. At every turn, the administration failed itself and those students.

Read Hubbard, Esq.
Harvard College 1993

Anonymous said...

The Hurled-Scum is pathetic to the end. Is it not interesting that now the newspaper does not want to be caught on the losing side?

Oh, yes, now Ashley wants Nifong to resign, yet no new information has come out since the time that the Hurled-Scum solidly stood behind the Fong. In other words, now that the Fong is on the run, his very actions that the Hurled-Scum praised now are damning.

Anonymous said...

The H-S reporters must have attended the same fact understanding school as Nifong.

Anonymous said...

Academia, journalism schools in particular and newsrooms are becoming monotheistic in their worship of twisted modern liberalism. Can this any longer qualify as a surprise? Newspaper quality reporting is fading into extinction, and we all are the poorer for it. The HS is not an exception. It's all about the agenda now.

Anonymous said...

Carolyn says:

Ah, guys, come on! You gotta admire the Hurled Scum's consistency. Began stupid and stayed that way to the end.

Anonymous said...

Come on. Does anyone really believe the Hurled Scum will admit its error? Why waste your time even discussing it.

Anonymous said...

Academia, journalism schools in particular and newsrooms are becoming monotheistic in their worship of twisted modern liberalism.

In NY, Barnard College is the hotbed of socialism and communism, and in charge of educating future teachers.
This report (NYPost today), is hardly surprising:
NYC high-school trip to Cuba

April 16, 2007 -- A group of Manhattan public high-school students and a history teacher with a soft spot for Cuba flouted federal travel restrictions by taking a spring-break field trip to the communist nation - and now face up to $65,000 apiece in fines, The Post has learned.
Turner, 35, a popular teacher whose classroom walls, students said, are adorned with posters of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro and Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara, declined to comment.

Anonymous said...

By the way, I sent a letter to the Hurled-Scum after the Brianne Dopart article in which she claimed Crystal had "swollen eyes." Of course, the Scum did not print it.

Michael said...

I saw that too last night and thought that it could be misinterpreted. In this case, it looks like it was deliberately misinterpreted.

Anonymous said...

There is no way to misinterpret what Cooper said. He did not explicitly say that racism was NOT a factor in his decision about charging Crystal. He never even alluded to the idea of race being an issue in dropping the charges. That was willful misinterpreation by the Herald Sun, but no more than what I've come to expect from that rag.

What thread is appropriate for a discussion of the allegation that we've caught Mike Nifong in another lie. According to the players lawyer, Nifong told him he had met and talked with Crystal at LENGTH. This directly contracts his later statements about never having met with her because he didn't want to be a witness, was too busy, or whatever, does it not?

Anonymous said...

Quite honestly, the people who now work at Durham's weekly reader, the Herald Sun, have to be so inept or they have to be so void of ethics that it is beyond measure.

It's like viewing what an insane asylum might be like.

They are in their own scary world of disconnect....yet, I suppose, all they are really trying to do is appeal to the corrupt morons who live in their vicinity.

Debrah

Anonymous said...

Albom

Debrah

Anonymous said...

As the LAX3 attorneys prepare to drive a wooden stake through Nifong's heart, the good citizens (as opposed to the bad citizens) of North Carolina should also cancel all subscriptions to the Herald-Sun. As much as newspapers struggle in this cyber environment, a mass "walkout" by H-S subscribers may very well drive a wooden stake though its heart as well. I'll wager that virtually nobody in Crystal Gail Mangum's neighborhood buys the newspaper, and elitist academics and research triangle liberals cannot sustain The Herald-Sun alone. North Carolinians need to take this opportunity to eradicate disease and fungus wherever they can. Nifong and the H-S will be a good start.

Anonymous said...

I am concerned that "bias" is too weak a word to describe the H-S lead. The clear language of the interview makes clear that Cooper was referring to his decision not to charge the accuser--as you said--and not to his decision to drop charges against the players.

Only a person who is quite unfamiliar with the English language could misinterpret Cooper's words. I do not know whether anyone at the H-S had a conscious, malignant motive in misconstruing Cooper's words. But it seems awfully close.

heartmind said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Its beyond me why the Herald Sun would want to stoke the fires of racial hate, there is no other reason for their piece.

A rational person could NOT have watched Cooper's interview and come to the conclusion he said the players were innocent due to race issues. He's releasing an entire report documenting WHY they came to the conclusion that no attack occured.

What these haters may eventually do is force the state to release more damaging info on Crystal or force the boys to release it. The defense lawyers have said their case was stronger than the public knew, that can only mean more damaging info. on Crystal, her mental illness and/or her lies.

I'm shocked to read on other blogs some people are interpreting the state's refusal to press charges against Crystal as "evidence" the boys aren't innocent and don't want a trial of any kind. People who are this willing to disregard factual evidence, no open to interpretation, simply can't be reasoned with. However, this kind of thinking demands then that the liar be prosecuted.

heartmind said...

Unlike some of the regular posters here, I am not yet desensitized to the kind of reporting that is exhbited here. I am calling the HS and also emailing them as well. I hear Bill reports that there will be no answer, but like 8:25, I am stunned. I want to curl back into the cocoon that surrounded me before this tragedy woke me up last March. That won't happen, and I am grateful for the extra critical/sensitive ear that has developed and proved helpful in my work.

Anonymous said...

JLS says.....,

One can only conclude that the Durham publisher is unhappy the dismissal did not provoke a race riot that night and is trying to inn up a delayed race riot? Most people are happy when there is not a race riot in their town.

heartmind said...

Well, for what it is worth, I just spoke by phone to Mr. Ashley who indcates it was an error and will be corrected by tomorrow at the latest. He claims a reporter mixed comments from one source with the Cooper statement.

heartmind said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Related to the discussion of what many see as corruption within the Durham Police Department is a film called "The Staircase Murders" which will air again tonight at 9:00PM on Lifetime.

It's about the Michael Peterson murder case which took place in Durham from 2001-03....told from the perspective of the victim's daughter, Caitlin Atwater.

For those who live in other parts of the country and do not remember this case, it was believed that the DPD overreached somewhat and did some questionable things while handling this case.

The department had alot of hatred for Peterson because in his newspaper column he was always making fun of them for only being able to solve such a tiny percentage of crimes in Durham.

Peterson also--to the delight of many of us--made endless fun of the local politicians and the seediness and corruption at city hall in Durham.

Consequently, when they got ahold of this case against him, there was much enthusiasm to "get him".

Whether or not Peterson killed his wife, none of us knows for sure. Much of the evidence pointed to his guilt.

However, IMO, so many peripheral things were allowed to come in by Judge Orlando Hudson that the case was prejudiced from the start.

The fact that he was, and I presume still is, bi-sexual was highlighted unfairly in front of a Durham jury. Hudson even allowed a male "escort" whom Peterson had contacted online to testify.

Also, a fall down a staircase by a female family friend in Germany years ago was allowed to become a part of the case...as a way of suggesting that Peterson might have also killed that woman.

IMO, the DPD went after him and created a "vendetta" atmosphere.....aside from his guilt or innocence.

I must disclose that I was not a close personal friend of either Peterson or his wife. He used to contact me by phone or e-mail every time he read a column that I had written. He was always praising me and was quick-witted and highly intelligent. It's obvious as well that he could be very abrasive toward those who drew his criticism and ire.

Like most of us, Peterson is a complex person. I liked him and was hoping for his exoneration.

The Lifetime movie which will be on tonight shows his previous wealth and success, and the various dynamics at play; however, many of the characters are at odds with reality:

Kevin Pollack plays David Rudolf, Peterson's attorney. Rudolf, in reality, looks better and is more dynamic. More of an Al Pacino-like character.

Treat Williams plays Peterson. He actually looks better than Peterson in reality, but morphs well into character by lightening his hair and donning glasses.

All of the women---Kathleen Peterson, (the victim), her daughter, Caitlin, her sister, and Peterson's first wife, Patty.....are played by women who are actually much more attractive than they all were/are in real life.

The woman playing Freda Black is pretty much equal to reality; however, she didn't wear her hair tied back as Freda did.....nor does she have all the heavy make-up.

Interestingly enough, Black's role is minimized in this take of the case.

The actor who plays then-District Attorney Jim Hardin is almost a twin. Looks very much like him....except Hardin is heavier.

Oh, well.....such a long post, but if some of you want to get another taste of Durham's justice system, check this little film out tonight.

Debrah

heartmind said...

I think that what Mr. Ashley stated to me meshes with what 8:40 am surmised.

Anonymous said...

Absolutely outrageous -- a flat-out lie by the Hurled-Scum. What slime.

Anonymous said...

I don't believe it. Are we to believe that the author of the article didn't watch 60 minutes?

As for Mr. Peterson, I believe he was guilty and the woman who died just like his wife was not a 'family friend' but his mistress, as I remember.

However, the post goes to show why Mike Nifong's actions are so damaging overall, it gives credence to the idea that guilty people are routinely railroaded and of course, that rape victims routinely lie and should be publicly shamed, cause if they were really raped, they have nothing to be ashamed about.

Anonymous said...

I wish Cooper had not said..."We did consider it."

That left anyone who wanted to obfuscate and take it out of context a chance to do so.

THis will be a balm for the idiots.

Many in Durham who the Herald Sun are enabling will be saying forever that "something happened" and that it was swept under the rug to diffuse tension.

In reality, Cooper said nothing close to that.

This case is another episode in life which will forever be misrepresented by those with an agenda outside of the facts of the case.

To wit: That nutcase of a Durham preacher who was interviewed on "60 Minutes".

Debrah

Anonymous said...

I think race DID play a part in deciding not to charge the accuser.

Given the apparent fact that she's a stone cold lunatic, AND a poor, downtrodden, black sister, I believe they decided charging her with a crime would prolong the racial tension and bring back out the black racists who would start protesting about how the poor black woman was being persecuted, etc. etc.

However, the idea that he ever said anything close to race being a factor in dropping charges is false, its a lie. That the Durham Herald Sun at this late date would continue to perpetuate the idea that the boys got away with something because they're white is SICKENING.

Anonymous said...

Jacqueline: Direct your concerns to Geoff Moser, the Herald Sun publisher--(gmoser@heraldsun.com).
If he doesn't get rid of Bob Ashley, Ron Landfried, and Greg Childress on the editorial pages, that paper has no chance.
But I really don't care to see them tank!

Anonymous said...

Sweetmick says, I know now, conclusively, that Crystal is totally completely out of touch with reality: She gave as one of her 3 explanations regarding the time stamped photos, "Duke paid someone off."

heartmind said...

11:08
Will do. It is good to know that I can do something from the state of MO.

Anonymous said...

Can someone paste the full text of the article? I don't want to register for the Herald Sun.

Anonymous said...

10:57
That damned son-of-a-***** Ashley lied to you.
They just got caught at more nasty and pathetic journalism.
The only kind they know.

Anonymous said...

Sweetmick-
The comments by Mangum are the kind of sh!t who live in Durham and what make it so sleazy.
That trash is given validity by some.

heartmind said...

Racial strain factor in Cooper declaration

The Herald-Sun
Apr 15, 2007 : 11:33 pm ET

DURHAM -- State Attorney General Roy Cooper says the strains the Duke lacrosse case inflicted on Durham's racial climate played a role in his decision last week to declare the three defendants innocent of sexually assaulting an exotic dancer.

Cooper made the comments on Sunday night's CBS "60 Minutes" news program in response to a question from interviewer Leslie Stahl, who described Durham as a "racially roiled" city because the dancer was black and the players white.

I think that's all I can copy legally.

heartmind said...

10:57
I am not saying he spoke the truth or not.

Anonymous said...

He obviously lied. I watched the 60 Minutes interview along with millions of other people. I also watched his news conference.

He has said unequivocally the boys are innocent and no attack occured.

He implied but did not say outright that race was a factor in not charging Mangum for lying about the attack.

Nowhere did he say, imply or infer that he dropped the charges against the boys due to racial issues.

It isn't credible on its face. Unless they have 8th graders who are non native English speakers doing the reporting at the Herald Sun, what he said is not credible.

Anonymous said...

Debrah,

Peterson beat two women to death for financial gain. He is a convicted murderer and got what he deserved.

Perhaps his flattery changed your perspective, but he did the crimes and should be put to death for them.

A minor quibble - the word "alot" does not exist.

Anonymous said...

PS, the lead sentence has been changed on their web site.

MTU'76 said...

Debrah@
Jacqueline @

Your posts reveal a person with a sense of right and wrong and who, like so many here, will continue the fight with thoughtful acts and deeds. I have only feelings to offer. (eww)

Deborah, thanks for the link. I usually believe what you say - but if you had a blue name nobody could impersonate you? I don't know, so many real people don't have a blue name.

For me the crescendo was the top cop's announcement that the Duke Three were innocent. No rape, no sexual assault, no kidnapping. INNOCENT. Saying Magnum is mentally ill and because of that she will not be charged was a big mistake. I say let the liar be charged and let the court decide. Letting her off the hook is the first step in enabling the locals to riot, or worse, enabling even more meaningless expensive extortion. The case should have been dismissed with prejudice.

I'm nobody, an old woman who was once raped. The case interested me out of a sense of justice for the Dukies and personal feelings about rape. There has been so much meaningless blather on the subject of rape it turns my stomach and makes me mad, angry too. People who cry rape should be held to the same standard as anyone who reports a crime. There are countless reasons someone might choose not to report rape, robbery, assault. And another thing, the use of the word 'survivor' has lost it's meaning. People survive attempted murder, survive cancer, survive car crashes that proved fatal to others. We do not 'survive' rape, we get over it and get on with our lives. No fanfare. No prizes. No movie deals. No book deals. (I never said it was easy.) I believe Magnum must be stopped before she can profit from this case. (I never went to the police after being raped at gunpoint, he was the police.)

Professor Johnson said he was a process person on a TV show linked here. On the face of that it sounds so dry - but Professor, I am not the only one who recognizes your passion and dedication. I heard on the same show that you are not married.

Well, its almost 9:00 in San Fransicko, time for another toast to DIW. (clink)

Anonymous said...

11:01

Peterson might have been having a relationship with the woman's husband.
I saw the movie that was mentioned here. Why don't you watch it?
You know as much about what really happened as I do.

heartmind said...

Go to:
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=41cf8ef1-d41a-45e9-83e4-aae85d0fd52c&k=52797
for a fine article on KC Johnson.

The take-home message from this article and my own personal outrage this morning is to always go to the source. Find the source material and decipther it yourself with hard facts. Otherwise, curiosity should prevail.

A quote on KC from the article:

"He did what historians do: He'd go in and he'd look at source material and try to put together facts and understand what was going on. He was just doing it more in real time. "

Congrats KC.

Blazestop said...

I can't understand...Why not charge the black bimbo...did she or didn't she break the law by bearing false witness? If these people aren't prosecuted then the Rev. Jessie Sharpton mentality will continue.

Anonymous said...

Good column by Mitch Albom. And he isn't a Johnny-come-lately on on this issue. He wrote a strongly worded column in December where he called the assucer a "liar" and questioned why other journalists were so reluctant to come right out and use word "liar" as well.

His on-air commentary on the day the charges were dropped was extraordinary. Mitch went to Columbia, and he has a long and distinguished career in journalism, and he gave some real insight about why so many of his fellow journalists were so eager to condemn the Duke3.

He said that a white journalist thinks it makes them look good, and makes them feel like a better person, if they take the side of a minority against a white - regardless of the facts of the particular matter.

He said this quest for virtue outweighs the quest for the truth for all too many journalists, and that too many don't realize that the role of a journalist is to find the truth.

So the press assisted and covered for corrupt DA, so that white journalists like Bob Ashley could assuage their guilt and feel good.

Anonymous said...

MTU--

And what would be a blue name?

And who is impersonating me?

I fail to understand you much of the time. Are you sure that you read what I posted?

My name is spelled "DEBRAH".


Debrah

Anonymous said...

For some important advice that the Herald Sun (and Mike Nifong) should have followed, see the article by Leonard Pitts in the Miami Herald, entitled "Ignore Facts, if Your Mind is Made Up."

http://www.miamiherald.com/418/story/75283.html

The conclusion is especially pertinent:

"So the Duke affair is a cautionary tale for prosecutors, pundits, folks standing at the water cooler and others who are inclined to judge guilt and innocence. It requires us to reassess how we know what we know. Is it fact, or just a narrative squeezed through the meat grinder? Truth, or just its emotional equivalent?

Or, as an editor told me once: Be rigorous in fact-checking stuff you don't know. Be more rigorous in fact-checking stuff you do."

Anonymous said...

This kind of crazy reporting has made me change my mind about proseucting the accuser.

I now believe she should be prosecuted, let her pose a mental health defense.

The AG deciding against prosecuting her enables the haters to keep on with their mindless beliefs that something must have happened.

Let's arrest her, take her to trial and make her publicize her history of mental health to prove she isn't mentally competant and shouldn't be held liable for her lies.

Lastly, if she's so mentally ill she doesn't know truth from fiction why does she still have her kids?

heartmind said...

James,

(Wow I am on a roll today). I have worked as a psychologist in a forensic hospital. I think what we would see is something drug on for the next few years only to find her Incompetent to Proceed. That's not closure. Now I base that opinion on what Cooper said on several occasions as well as what the News and Observor wrote and not my own personal observations or testing.

Anonymous said...

10 52
I wonder on what page the retraction will be made. Page 1? I doubt it.

Anonymous said...

Hurled scum
My guess is they want people to register so they can collect IP addresses and sue.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of which I assume KC would face a firing squad before releasing his lists. Right?

Anonymous said...

Has Cooper said when this week he will release the report on their investigation?

Anonymous said...

I think "blue name" refers to entries that show up w/ a hyper-linked "so-and-so said..." at the top. This is tied to the "Google/Blogger / Other / Anonymous" radio button one chooses when submitting a comment.

The idea that is being repeated is that someone who signs with a "blue name" has authenticated themselves and are not likely to be impersonated by someone else.

Anonymous said...

KC, I'm not sure that Cooper conceded that racial strain even played a part in the decision not to charge CGM. Look closely at what he said. In response to a question about whether racial strain played a part in the decision, he basically said that it was talked about and discussed but in the end the decision was made in the best interests of justice. The way I interpreted his comments at the time was that they made their decision not to charge based on the best interests of justice notwithstanding any concern over racial strain. The upshot is that Cooper never conceded that racial straing played any part in any decision let alone the decision to dismiss the assault and kidnapping charges.

heartmind said...

12:36-

Agreed. Anyone know of a source that states that race was a reason? The HS has changed its story from 11:33 last night from not charging the lacrosse students to not charging CGM but I still don't believe there is a source for that, either.

No retraction. Just changed the Heading and first paragraph on the web from lacrosse players to CGM.

Anonymous said...

12:15
Please explain how on earth the Herald Sun could sue?
More likely they would be the ones sued by others.

Anonymous said...

JLS says....,

re: anon 10:19

...elitist academics and research triangle liberals cannot sustain The Herald-Sun alone.

They are all subscribers to the NYTimes anyway and consinder the Herald-Sun beneath them.

Anonymous said...

They have not changed the headline
on the website.

heartmind said...

BTW, apologies for typo at 11:53. Decipher.

heartmind said...

Original Headline:

Racial strain factor in Cooper declaration

New Headline:
Racial strain factor in Cooper decision

None-the-less, they missed the point. Big time.

Anonymous said...

The saddest legacy of this case is the realization of how much hate is out there.

Hate for white people. A fair analysis of the black press coverage, statements and actions of black leaders,nationally and in Durham, shows that much of black America quite simply, hates whites. They were overjoyed to have a case like this, and even now, many refuse to admit their 'sister' lied.

Hate for women. Reading this blog over the months, I came to the conclusion that many of the Duke supporters were not here because of the particulars of the case, which clearly showed innocence, but were there to trumpet the evils of women who 'cry rape' and to spread their lies about 'real rape' and how many women falsey accuse men of this horrible crime. Those posters are no better than the potbangers.

Hate for affluence. Even today, when the boys have been exoneated many still condemn them and minimize their tragedy, they say they will get over it because they are rich, its happened before, etc. they don't deserve sympathy because afterall they're rich and white and will likely go on to lead successful lives.

Hate for blacks. Despite the racism of the black community, there is a strong undercurrent of racism in many posts I have seen that demean all blacks and resort to the same stereotypes that were wrongly used about these 'college jocks'.

Anonymous said...

Personally, I'm looking forward H-S upcoming coverage of "The Amazing Batboy!" and any 100lbs babies that are born in the coming months.

The Herald Sun...taking the truth to the next level...down!

Anonymous said...

Everyone should bombard the Herald Sun with phone calls and e-mails in protest.
They should be held to account for this.

Jack said...

Why is anyone here expressing surprise, indignation or outrage? The primary objective of the Herald-Sun, the News and Observer, MSNBC, 60 Minutes and EVERY OTHER media entity is to make money through sponsor advertising and subscriptions. That is all, plain and simple. In the case of the H-S, they have chosen to use this story to bolster readership by going beyond reporting the event in a rational, objective, factual way. The editors have not accidentally missed something, forgot to check, or overlooked a single item that has been printed. It is a careful, conscious effort to engage the public, perhaps outrageously, to increase circulation, readership. Look at all the commentary their position has stirred up! Love me or hate me, just don’t ignore me.

Off topic, just a bit, is the media’s role in defining the reality of modern American life. For many, most people, the media, and in particular, Television, defines reality. The objective, the goal, the true intended purpose of producing Nightline, the Evening News, Monday Night Football, the Apprentice and Desperate Housewives is the exact same in all cases – providing the sponsors with an audience. Most importantly, the sponsors come first! Perhaps people expect more from an entity such as a newspaper, holding to a higher role within the community. Do not assign them a role that the editors do not see themselves playing. The Herald Sun is a commercial enterprise, purely, with the same shareholder financial demands as Verizon, Anheuser Busch, Bally Casinos and General Electric (NBC). Long gone are the days of Poor Richard’s Almanac and the so-called hallowed role of the journalist to inquire, question and enlighten. William Randolph Hearst understood that 70 years ago. The merging of news and entertainment began some time ago, but the trick is to keep the public from catching on. I am not sure there is anything that can be done about it, but, at the very least, understand what is at work here.

Anonymous said...

It has been corrected, but I'm used to seeing the original article with corrections noted, rather than seeing an adjusted article with the error not acknowledged. If the original article made it into the print edition, that's massively dishonest. Does anyone know whether the incorrect article hit the print version? For some reason, we don't get it here on the West Coast...

Also, in view of the outrageously misleading nature of the original lead, it seems like it would have been much better to also adjust the title to be more clear which decision was referenced, if it *was* adjusted in time to make it into the print edition.

Here's the Herald-Sun's adjusted version of the opening of the article. Note that a careful read of the inserted comment on what "it" is in the second paragraph means that the second paragraph is *not* documentation of the revised first paragraph. The second paragraph is saying that they talked about filing charges, *not* that they talked about the race issue.

DURHAM -- State Attorney General Roy Cooper says the strains the Duke lacrosse case inflicted on Durham's racial climate played a role in his decision last week to not pursue false report charges against an exotic dancer who had claimed three Duke lacrosse players sexually assaulted her at a party.

"We did consider it [filing charges against the accuser]," Cooper said. "We did talk about it. But we think in the best interest of justice, that it was not the right thing to do."

Anonymous said...

This is not the first time that the Herald Scum twisted Cooper's words to fit their agenda.

In the intial website article following the announcement, the journalist made the absurd inference that despite CGM's desire to move forward, that Cooper had decided to drop the charges due to her sealed medical records; when in fact, he had decided not to persue criminal charges due to the medical records.

Anonymous said...

Apparently the H/S got the message. Story changed! LOL NOW, they need to publish (in print) a BIG correction on page 1. OH, did I see where JJ is taking back his offer to pay for CGM's college?!?!?! What a shock.
cf

Michael said...

Bar denies motion for dismissal

(The Chronicle Online)

"The issues here are pretty simple," Williamson said. "Did he talk too much during the pretrial statements? Is there a legitimate law enforcement purpose for those statements... and on the DNA evidence did he reveal what he should have revealed by the time he should have revealed?"

A handful of Nifong supporters were in attendance at the hearing, including community activists Victoria Peterson and Jackie Wagstaff.

"I'm here because I think that the whole process is a constitutional violation of Nifong's rights," Wagstaff said. "I think in his professional duties as district attorney of Durham, he did what he had to do."

Others present at the hearing sported buttons bearing the words, "Fantastic Lies," in reference to David Evans' characterization of the accusations soon after they surfaced.

Anonymous said...

I'd be shocked if the original FALSE lead wasn't in the printed version, which means whatever poor souls subscribe to the Durhan Herald, they read this morning that the boys were declared innocent due to racial considerations.

We will have to see what kind of correction the Durham Herald posts.

I still say they did it on purpose, no one is that stupid or that careless in a story this big.

Anonymous said...

Jack:

I think you got it exactly right.

We are dopes to think about H-S's coverage any other way!

It is quite sad.

I just wish I knew what I could do to make a difference!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous @ 1:03pm
Is there really that much hate out there? Do you encounter it in your personal life? In the people you work with, clerks at the store, those you meet in elevators, sit next to on planes, trains, in the theatre? I certainly do not. What is the basis for your statement - the perception created by newspapers and television reporters and editors, who choose to interview a few angry students at NCCU? AL Sharpton and Jesse Jackson? The carefully tailored sound bites and short film clips of demonstrators on Duke's campus? These things have occurred, but are they representative of American sentiments, black or white? I tend to doubt it. There is no purpose in having rational, thoughtful, insightful black people on a panel discussion, such as Thomas Sowell, Alan Keyes or Professor Coleman. Those people might make you think there is not such a wide gulf in the thinking between the races. Such calm discourse is NOT what television, or the media is all about. Inflaming hatred, at least creating the impression there is more than really exists, now that is must see TV!

Anonymous said...

With Neff's latest installment indicating April 10 as the day Nifong went from DA to criminal, I think there is even more reason to believe that Ashley was more of a contributor than a reporter. This PBS interview on 4/11/06 certainly shows a willingness to emphasize the metanarrative. And "labor practices"? Is this a shakedown motivation?

"GWEN IFILL: How important is Duke in the community at large, in Durham and its environs?
BOB ASHLEY: Tremendously important...... It employs people ranging from Nobel laureates to folks who clean the floors and pick up the trash on campus, and many of those in the service jobs happen to be African-American. It's one of the reasons I think some folks in the African-American community sometimes look with concern on what they may see as labor practices they're not fond of."

Was Broadhead initially taking a "wait and see" position, until goaded or cowed into presuming guilt? Who and what facilitated that? Ashley seems to indicate it was the email.

"BOB ASHLEY: Well, I think they took some criticism and probably rightly so in the early days for not responding more quickly.
I think they would argue that they were trying to get a handle on a situation that they knew, I suspect, was going to be explosive. I think since -- particularly since the emergence of the e-mail last week, their response has been quite vigorous."

".... the e-mail that surfaced last week had been the result of a -- actually had been the reason for a sealed search warrant. And we had actually had gone to court or were prepared to go to court -- hopefully, won without it -- to open that file."

What does he mean by "we"? Why did a file need to be opened? So it could be used as leverage?
Who used it?

Jack said...

I see so much reference to "agenda". The gang of 88 is using this to further their agenda; the NY Times has an agenda. To Anonymous at 1:20 pm, you say that the H-S does things that fit their agenda. I'm not necessarily disagreeing, or trying to put you on the spot, but, exactly what IS their agenda? What is, specifically, the agenda of the Duke faculty that signed the terrible "listening statement"? What is the agenda of Waheena Lubiano (afterall, some of the signatories were sheep, not innocent, but, no doubt, some may feel duped)? If we had a clearer understanding of what these players are intending, it would certainly help me figure this whole thing out. I still, for the life of me, don't get what was going through Nifong's head as he pursued this catastrophe.

Anonymous said...

This is completely off topic. However, just wanted to express my sincere sympathy to the families of the Virginia Tech students killed and/or injured during the horrific shooting this morning. My daughter has many friends that attend Tech and considered attending there herself. She has received word that one of her friends was shot in the head multiple times and is in surgery. Please keep these families in your thoughts in prayers.

Anonymous said...

1:33

You are making excuses. The african americans you cited are the exception not the rule. Even today in the News & Observer is a black columnist who fails to mention the boys were innocent, he seeks to draw conclusions about the disadvantaged blacks and reminds us how horrible it is to hire strippers.

I read Cash Michaels pieces, I saw the local and national black 'leaders' make their comments, I saw and heard Durham residents of color give their take on the case and I've seen blogs and web sites. All lead me to the conclusion that black racism is a MUCH BIGGER problem than white racism and that the media plays along with this by failing to cover stories involving racially motivated crimes by blacks.

I firmly believe Mike Nifong was counting on a racist, black Durham jury to at least get him a hung jury, a verdict that would have vindicated him legally and left the boys with a shroud of guilt over their heads forever.

Anonymous said...

Can anyone verify whether or not the H-S's printed version is the painfully inaccurate one?
Does anyone subscribe to the rag or can get one just to look?

Anonymous said...

JLS says....,

re: Rod Allison

Mitch went to Columbia, and he has a long and distinguished career in journalism,

Are you saying:

1. see he went to an Ivy which is why he is a good journalist

or

2. Despite going to an Ivy and a J-School at that, he somehow came out with a brain?

Sad but this is where politicizing universities has gotten us. What at one time would clearly be a compliment is no longer clear, even to this Economics Prof.

Anonymous said...

Those racists in Durham just will not give up. And the H-S is giving them what they want.
Don't believe for a minute that whoever wrote that article made a mistake.
I'd fire that pandering scum. No doubt it's someone using the statement of Cooper out of context.
LYING! Trying to make the story fit their lies.
Unbelievable.

Anonymous said...

I also don't believe it was a mistake.

It would be ASTOUNDING for any law enforcement official to claim he dropped criminal charges due to racial considerations, especially considering he has already said they are innocent and no attack occured.

That kind of mistake would be shocking coming from a college newspaper. From the Durham Herald, it shows their racist mindset and their desire to inflame the black community, making them believe that it was race, power and money that got the charges dismissed.

Anonymous said...

Crystal Mangum most certainly should be prosecuted.
Did anyone see that piece of filth laughing in the photo when she was coming onto the porch where she said (about 20 different stories) that she was beaten?
That woman is the scum of the earth and should pay for what she contunies to lie about.

Anonymous said...

To Anonymous @1:51, assume you are the same as 1:03
You are missing my point - I asked how much hate do you see, or encounted in your personal life, not among the talking heads. Of course any news organization can put up an endless stream of individuals who support a particular point of view. In this case, how does this compare with what goes on in your day to day existence. For me, there couldn't be more of a contrast. As a white man, born in Newark, NJ, living in the NY metropolitan area, working in Manhattan, I get around, meet and deal with many different people. Sorry, but for me, it isn't all that hostile. I certainly do not let the TV news editors/ casting directors define for me the state of race relations.

Anonymous said...

Jim Cooney and Joe Cheshire out to go after the H-S will full force.

Anonymous said...

I also live in the NYC metropolitan area. My direct experience of black racism is beside the point, I've never been raped either, but I don't need to be a victim to know that rape exists. What I can tell you from my personal experience is that in my opinion the blacks who I socialize with, and they are all successful, have an exaggerated view of white racism as prevalent throughout society even though they themselves can rarely point to any specific first person racism.

The difference between a black person's view of the world and a white persons' view, is that when a black sales clerk is rude to me I assume he/she is rude and unprofessional, not that they are racis. When the same happens to a black person with a white salesclerk, they automatically assume the clerk is racist.

Anonymous said...

So why would you continue to presume the sales clerk is merely being rude?

Anonymous said...

JLS says....

re: Charging Mangum

We have discussed that prosecutors, in this case the AG, have a duty not to take on cases they can not win. Does this include a high probability of not winning due to jury nullification?

Anonymous said...

To the poster questioning my comments, I never said racism does not exist, I only said that I do not think it is as bad as the media portrays it. I think many social ills are exaggerated, and many so-called facts are pure fabrication by the media. It would be far less interesting if we all got along.

Anonymous said...

Because I'm not a petty minded paranoic. I am sure that in some cases the sales clerk IS racist, there have also been times where I have witnessed whites being treated with less respect than people of color by black or hispanic clerks. What would be the point of complaining unless it is an out and out blatant display of racism?

I do not believe the liberal media, which failed to call this hoax a hoax for over a year, with the NYTimes leading the charge, with white columnists this week still blaming the boys for underage drinking [gasp, the horror], is selectively trying to make Durham blacks look racist when they are not.

The media has bent over backwards to give the accuser even benefit of the doubt.

I believe Cash Michaels and the NAACP and the rest of the black leaders who said they wanted a trial, even though we know and knew there wasn't probable cause for an arrest, ARE RACIST. This case has made me change my view of blacks in general. They are more racist than whites.

Let me remind you of two NYC cases. The white college student chased into the street and killed while the black were laughing and saying get the white guy. Not a hate crime. No racial motivation even though the facts show this group of thieves TARGETED WHITES. The actress gunned down by the group of black teenagers after the robbery. They were laughing and bragging about it. No hate crime there either, apparently.

If you will be honest, and change the races of the assailants and victims in both those cases you will conclude there would have been a national uproar.

Anonymous said...

I have a neighbor who lives in a townhouse down the street. She is a PhD and is in her early 60's.
Very nice woman and we have shared many conversations and laughs and I considered her to be quite mannerly and kind.
But when the subject of race comes up, with her everything negative that happens is because people are racist toward her.
It's like an illness or a virus that cannot be cured.
Someone else who is an acquaintance said that this woman was very rude and dictatorial to people and that could be why she finds some people negative toward her.
I think that's the way many times. It's more someone's personality. Anyway, I find that black people are much more racist than white people in the U. S. They seem to like to bring up race all the time. Just my experience.

Anonymous said...

That is a supposition, throughout this case, I have been unable to support: If the races were reversed, the players black and the woman was white...everything would be different. That is pure conjecture.

Anonymous said...

2:28pm
That would be my guess.
Cooper cannot spell it out. He has to be discreet for the media, but there are so many blacks in Durham that if Mangum was charged, a jury would nullify everything in Durham.
Like the OJ case.
I realize that some don't want to admit it, but Durham is a cancer of black racism and it seems to be accepted.

Anonymous said...

If the races had been reversed we would have heard ad naseum about the terrible history of white women falsely accusing black men of rape. Instead, we heard about the terrible history of white men abusing black women, which of course hasn't been born out by the facts for at least 50 years if not longer.

If the players had been black and the accuser white, with the exact same set of facts the NYTimes would have been calling for the charges to be dropped on its editorial page beginning in May 2006.

Anonymous said...

I saw that interview last night. No one that saw it or read it could honestly construe Cooper's remarks as applying to the decision to dismiss the charges.

But its par for the course in mainstream media reporting. They treat serious legal cases like a snippet from Britney's divorce. The more inflamatory the better.

The New York Times assured us its reporter has reviewed "the entire file" and that there was sufficient evidence to take the case to a jury. And that was what? The "memo from memory?" What competent reporter could make such an assertion?

The Duke case is the most recent of these media-stoked stories that cause incredible carnage to the country as a whole.

Anyone recall the lurid and uncritical stories in the 1980's of alleged abuse at the McMartin pre-school in Manhattan Beach California? It sent parents state wide into a panic that rivaled the 1938 broadcast of the War of The Worlds. The defendants were imprisoned without bail. Villfied. Five years later the jury acquited them all after finding that the "abused" kids had been coached, induced to tell stories and worse by "trained professionals" in law enforcement. Five years in jail without bail. A state worried sick. Oh well. Sorry.

In 1992, the media ran continuous tapes of the "beating" of what was described as "motorist" Rodney King. Irrespective of anyone's final judgment of this case, the media played a deplorable role in hyping only the inflamatory elements to an outraged public.

The entire tape was rarely shown in favor of the few seconds that were the most inflamatory and misleading. The fact that he was tased without result and kept getting up before he was swarmed was barely mentioned. The LAPD seargent that directed the officers to "swarm" the "motorist" had previously ordered a CHP oficer to refrain from approaching with a pistol to avoid a shooting. The same LAPD officer had once given mouth to mouth to an African American suspect with AIDS.

None of that mattered in the rush to react to the reported story: i.e., the few seconds of tape. The mayor weighed in saying how disgusted he was and how he saw the "evidence" with his own eyes. Everyone was under pressure to do the right thing as seen by the media's limited reporting. The only newspaper that checked the facts was the American Lawyer which concluded much later that by golly, the LAPD had probably done the right thing. Oh well.

Those two cases alone illustrate MSM's weakness for inflamatory and under-researched reporting. There are many more.

Reporting these cases like celebrity sightings is a disservice to the entire country. Diluting the facts to follow a PC playbook also misinforms the public, as occured in the Duke case.

The only effective check on this unrestrained and credulous reporting has come from blogs. From people who take the time to check the facts. Weigh the facts. And to report not parrot.

Anonymous said...

JLS - Think you are right on about the lack of a riot. Durham community seems fine with the results - its the white self hating reporters who are so angry at the results. There are no words - stop giving the HS free advertising and name status.

Anonymous said...

1"33 Good question - my answer is no - I worked with and lived around all colors for fifty years and never encountered any hate and lothing.

Anonymous said...

Money where the mouth is time: I just cancelled all weekly advertising in the H-S and am moving to direct mail. let the bleeding begin.

Anonymous said...

Did the H-S change the text of its odiously misleading story for a *second* time?

Anonymous said...

JLS,

Closer to No. 2

The reason I thought his Columbia pedigree was noteworthy is that it contributes to his position as journalistic insider who understands the elite media.

But you're right. In spite of the brainwashing he endured at Columbia, he came out all right.

Anonymous said...

This whole case just reminds us of what we live through everyday in our lives.

Only whites can be racist.

Rich people who are white dont deserve equal justice and are resented when they get it and held to a higher standard of punishment when they are guilty

Blacks get away with things that whites do not because whites are afraid to be labled racist and liberal politicians need the black vote.

Blacks will play the race card to their advantage until liberal whites wont allow them to which will be never because liberals cant win elections by having ideas of their own.

Liberals are the most powerful voice in america. If they ever get organized, this country is doomed.

Evil exists in this world and it is slowly taking over this country. Europe is already lost.

We are about 100 years away from turning into present day South Africa and Zimbabwe.

What made this country great will also be its downfall.

Anonymous said...

So far there are at least three versions of the article. For comparative purposes, here are the first two paragraphs of the article.

VERSION #1

DURHAM -- State Attorney General Roy Cooper says the strains the Duke lacrosse case inflicted on Durham's racial climate played a role in his decision last week to declare the three defendants innocent of sexually assaulting an exotic dancer.

Cooper made the comments on Sunday night's CBS "60 Minutes" news program in response to a question from interviewer Leslie Stahl, who described Durham as a "racially roiled" city because the dancer was black and the players white.

---------

VERSION #2

DURHAM -- State Attorney General Roy Cooper says the strains the Duke lacrosse case inflicted on Durham's racial climate played a role in his decision last week to not pursue false report charges against an exotic dancer who had claimed three Duke lacrosse players sexually assaulted her at a party.

"We did consider it [filing charges against the accuser]," Cooper said. "We did talk about it. But we think in the best interest of justice, that it was not the right thing to do."

---------

VERSION #3

DURHAM -- State Attorney General Roy Cooper says he considered filing false-report charges against the accuser in the Duke lacrosse case but decided not to "in the interests of justice."

"We did consider it [filing charges against the accuser]," Cooper said in response to a question from "60 Minutes" interviewer Leslie Stahl, who described Durham as "racially roiled" because the accuser is black and the players she said sexually assaulted her are white.

---------

Is anyone aware of any *other* versions they've posted???

So far they've corrected it once to fix the lie about the declaration of innocence, and they've changed it a second time to remove the connection of race to *any* decision, which was originally the whole point of the silly article. Yet the article still shows up at the same original URL, despite having *NO* indication that it's been corrected at least twice...

So much for journalism in Durham...

Anonymous said...

Cooper is just another liberal punk who looks a little better in a suit and speaks with a little more eloquence then Nifong.

He can word it however he wants to but isnt about to indict a black girl form these false accusations when he wants to be governor.

A real leader forgets about people falsely labeling him a racist and prosectues colorblind. Cooper is just as guilty as Nifong.

Stop hailing this man for his great decision in this case. He played both sides of the fence.

Anonymous said...

Mother of God--after its *third* shot the H-S still can't get it right? Folks actually pay *money* to advertise in this odious rag? People actually *read* it? What a freaking circus act.

Anonymous said...

The story was about the influence of race on the decision to exonerate the players. Then it changed to the influence of race on the decision not to charge the accuser. Now it is just about the decision not to charge the accuser. But that part was covered just as fully in last week's press conference. In other words, there's no actual news left!

A story about the influence of race on the decision to exonerate becomes a story about the fact that the AG decided not to prosecute over the false report, and *NOTHING ON THEIR WEBSITE* would give you any impression that anything changed...

If the original story was in the print edition, and tomorrow's print edition doesn't contain a mea culpa at least as prominent, then they will be, in my opinion, guilty of blatantly stirring up racial hatred through false statements. Frankly, that would in my opinion *become* the next story on this case.

Anonymous said...


Only whites can be racist.


Don't be silly.

Only those on top can be racist.

Just imagine what it must be like in China to be a member of a caucasian derived minority ... or an Indian in Fiji ...

Anonymous said...

All Durhamites that subscribe to the H-S should be rethinking that decision after they've witnessed their performance in the Nifong Scandal Case. How can it be justified?

Talk about throwing money down a rathole. They would be better off taking the money they pay each month, going to a street corner in the downtown area, and throwing it up in the air. They might or might not get something in exchange for the effort, but at least they wouldn't be getting completely bogus information for their money.

heartmind said...

Well said, Eric. I heartily agree.

becket03 said...

Debrah:

Please don't muddy this excellent blog with sympathetic references to the despicable murderer Peterson! He's as guilty of murder as any murderer ever has been, and his case has no bearing whatsoever on the Duke Lacrosse case.

beckett

Anonymous said...

Beckett--

Now, now, disgruntled little person. Your hatred is showing.

The behavior of the Durham Police Department and how vindictive and overreaching they can be is VERY MUCH RELATED TO THIS CASE.

I would think that the fact that Peterson is spending his life in prison would give you enough pleasure so you wouldn't have to go off and wet your knickers.

Don't forget to watch the film about him tonight at 9 PM!

LOL!!!
LOL!!!

Debrah

Anonymous said...

Beckett--

Moreover, there are still members of the DPD who were there during the Peterson case whom we know are envious and resentful of those who appear to be affluent and priveleged.

Although Peterson was beginning to have financial difficulties, none of that was known by the public until the trial.

He lived in a huge mansion with grounds and a pool. Drove the best imports, sent the kids to expensive schools...etc.....

The DPD hated him...just as they resent many Duke University students.

Heck, Peterson is even a Duke alumnus.

Debrah

Anonymous said...

@ 8:40 am

I agree that Cooper's response was not well worded, but I am not so sure that I agree the question was badly framed.

I did not interpret the answer as you did. I agree that Cooper said the accuser would not be charged in the interests of justice. Obviously, to the extent that he and his staff believe she is insane, a failure to prosecute is in the interests of justice. But I do not agree that he denied that the effect on race relations was one of the considerations in his definition of the interests of justice. It would not be one of my considerations in the interests of justice: fiat justitia ruat coelum (let justice be done though the heaven falls.)

I suppose that I could accept a position that 1) the accuser may well not be right in the head, and, given THAT fact and the state of race relations in Durham, 2) not proceeding was in the interests of justice. Some on this blog will consider that a squishy position, but life sometimes demands squishy.

What justice ABSOLUTELY demands is the criminal prosecution of Mike Nifong and his helpers in the DA's office and the police department. The underlings can mostly plead out so long as they are discharged from their positions and testify against Nifong. Every prosecutor in the nation must know that intentional abuse of power if discovered leads to prison, which I doubt is a good place for an ex-DA to end up.

JeffM

becket03 said...

Jack @ 1:45

I share your mystification over Nifong's plan. How did he think he was going to get away with this, when he must have known by mid-April that he had no case?

After thinking it over, I've come up with the following:

1) He sees Crystal's name attached to the complaint, and recalls immediately that she and her family are deeply indebted to him for his role in prosecuting her uncle's murderer. He thinks he knows exactly who she is and exactly how much cooperation he can expect from her.

2) He realizes that he can get "a million dollars worth of advertisements" for his campaign by demagoguing the case in the black community.

3) He naively figures the media, always hungry for fresh meat to devour, will tire of the case and move on to a new meal a few weeks after he's safely won the primary.

4) He'll then call in his chips with Crystal and get her to agree with his decision to drop the charges, which will be accomplished with no fanfare and little media notice. Any legal indiscretions he's committed, he'll bury by the power of his office.

With that plan in mind, he hopped on the back of the tiger. Needless to say the tiger had a mind of its own, and large, powerful claws and teeth, and he found too late that he couldn't safely dismount.

beckett

Jack said...

beckett,

One interesting point in Nifong’s hearing to dismiss the ethics violations. Nearly 95% of criminal complaints are plea bargained, or in some way quietly disposed of. This makes his premise of no trial, no harm so dastardly, as DA’s might get innocent individuals to plea to a lesser charge just to get off the hook. With only a 1 in 20 chance of going to trial, Nifong might’ve figured he’d give it a shot, a quick one. That is my only guess at how he could have proceeded with such a profoundly stupid attempt at prosecution. But as we have come to know, “he picked the wrong families” who took a NFW approach. Again, although he must have been a basically crooked person at heart, by the first week of April, the second week at the latest, anyone with a scintilla of sense, even if only a sense of self preservation, would have seen the folly of pursuing this case. He did not appear at that point to have lost control of things, from my recollection of his comportment. And yet, with all the suggestions, the theories, I can not begin to fathom why he did so.

Anonymous said...

Nifong knows the blacks in Durham so well and he was so confident that their bombastic ways would push this case by their sheer racist forces that he felt safe to go ahead full speed.

Anonymous said...

H-S is a travesty of a paper that seems to only exist to support the DPD, city council and mayor no matter what the truth may be. This paper is an enabler of injustice, lies, and untruths in a veiled attempt to perpetuate the cronyism and illegal misdeeds of the City of Durham. This latest article proves it's just "bidness" as usual in Durham. Suggest the Herald Scum get an award for their reporting - how about the "Pravda" award.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know whether the incorrect article hit the print version? For some reason, we don't get it here on the West Coast...

Yes the "incorrect article", a.k.a "Version #1" (4:35:00 PM), was in the April 16 print edition with first-page above-the-fold headline "Racial strain factor in Cooper declaration".

I think version #1 is likely true, except for claiming that Cooper said that on 60 Minutes. He didn't, and anyway such opinions belong on the editorial page.

Speaking of the editorial page, on Sunday Bob Ashley rebutted Jim Cooney's attack on the H-S. He said that they had indeed criticized Nifong and cited a couple of examples. One of them was a Jan. 14 editorial. For some reason Bob Ashley omitted that the editorial was titled "Nifong's request was the right call". He also omitted the criticism was that the "botched photo lineup" might let the hooligans escape on a technicality.

Anonymous said...

My particular favorite among the Herald-Sux's many editorials on this issue was the piece (forgotten the date, either late '06 or early '07) wherein the paper opined that the trial should ;move ahead if for no other reason than to allow the players the chance to prove their innocence.

NOTE TO EDIT WRITER: Regardless of what you think of the merits of a criminal trial, if a you EVER finds yourself writing a line like that in an editorial, PLEASE STEP AWAY FROM THE KEYBOARD AND FIND ANOTHER LINE OF WORK.

E-mail: said...

I wonder if Debrah also communicates with Andrew Luster.

Anonymous said...

Jacqueline 10:52 AM --

If the facts are as Mr. Ashley states, what does that say for the vaunted check and balance of editor review that journalists are always trotting out that supposedly makes newspapers so much more accurate than blogs written by people sitting around in their pajamas?

The fact is 99% of all people who work at newspapers are of one mind and speak with one voice, so there is no checking and no balancing going on whatsoever. It's just like the NYT motto (revised) says "all the news that fits our agenda, we print."

People must stop buying the inferior product created by newspapers and weekly news magazines like TIME and NEWSWEEK. Let the marketplace work for these worthless scoundrels.

Anonymous said...

Any news on whether/how the print version corrected yesterday's story would be appreciated.