We got beat on some stories I wish we’d had first, but we beat others . . . on some others.--Bob Ashley, editor, Herald-Sun
In his recent interview with AJR, Bob Ashley vigorously defended his paper’s performance in the case, and made the above claim that the H-S had several scoops on the case. (In recent weeks, it should be noted, the H-S’ Ray Gronberg has had several good articles.)
It is true, as Ashley asserted, that the Herald-Sun sometimes did “beat” other media, and Editor Ashley deserves full credit for this performance. While the case was alive, Herald-Sun “scoops” included:
August 1, 2006 (John Stevenson): “The previously undisclosed [DNA] matches, one involving indicted rape suspect David Evans and the other involving a player not charged, have been confirmed by several sources close to the case . . . Tissue ‘consistent’ with Evans’ genetic makeup was on the fingernail, but the match was not 100 percent conclusive.”
(In fact, the matches had been disclosed, and there was no “tissue” consistent with Evans’ genetic makeup on the fingernail.)
November 1, 2006 (John Stevenson): “Addressing a witness-credibility issue that echoes the Duke lacrosse rape case, the state Court of Appeals has upheld rape and sex-offense convictions against Anthony Michele Lofton of Durham
November 2, 2006 (John Stevenson): “Platinum Club owner Victor Olatoye said in a sworn affidavit, a copy of which was obtained by The Herald-Sun on Wednesday, that . . . [Crystal Mangum] danced at his nightspot beginning in December 2005 and continued for about three months, stopping in February. In addition, he said he had reviewed the CBS video clip and disagreed that it was shot on March 26. ‘The video is at my club and was prior to the rape,’ Olatoye wrote. ‘I am certain of this because [Mangum] has not stripped at my club since the rape occurred.’”
(Olatoye later admitted he was wrong, and the H-S had to run a correction.)
April 16, 2007 (staff reports): “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 had said no such thing, and the H-S had to run a correction.)
These instances where the Herald-Sun “beat others” had two items in common. One: the “scoops” all first appeared in the Herald-Sun. Two: they were all factually wrong.
65 comments:
These guys really are the Gift That Keeps On Giving. I am convinced that the modern newsroom has become so PC that nothing can be done about it. We just have to heavily filter any news we read.
There is precedent for this: the Russians used to learn how to filter the nonsense in Pravda. Guess we have to learn, too.
I gotta tell everyone this:
A few months ago I e-mailed the H-S a scathing column--which I knew with certainty that Ashley would never print--which was priceless in its treatment of the Gritty Gang of 88.
Landfried, of the editorial page, wrote back that they would be happy to print it as a letter if I wanted to re-submit.
I then responded...."NO"....I wanted it as a column and that I was so sure that the H-S staff would want to "make things right" and publish columns from every point of view.....in light of the fact that for the past year they had "gotten it SO wrong".
LOL!!!
Knowing that I would not back down for a while, Ashley e-mailed me and said given the fact that I was so abusive to his staff, if I continued they would be less inclined to work with me.
LOL!!!
LOL!!!
LOL!!!
When I read that I really did fall out of my chair laughing.
LIS!!!
LIS!!!
LIS!!!
How on earth did this man get a job running a newspaper? He's unworldly insane.
Debrah
dThese people are as delusional as Crystal.
Is Stevenson a Communist?
Debrah,
"How on earth did this man get a job running a newspaper? He's unworldly insane."
Two words: Peter principle. Let's be serious about the accomplishment and prestige of being the editor of a small-sized local/regional regional newspaper. No offense to journalists of prime caliber, but anyone with ambition or talent moves out of that position into something better (like the NYT...sarcasm intended.)
In their place rush the Ashleys of the world - low-rent vindictive petty tyrants.
The real fight now for this blog is to open the paroachial, bigoted, politically correct newsrooms to the sunlight of the real world. If this doen't happen, the whole of this terrible infamy will, except for the vindication and freedom of the Duke lacrosse three, be for nought. It is a national problem. This country will not be able to address the very difficult problems facing it with the sort of journalism that is represented by the media reaction to what did not happen in Durham. These problems of justice and debate and dealing with Islamic extremist cannot be dealt with by a media so myopic , parocial, and bigoted, and fundamentally flawed. These groups did indeed throw their history to the winds pursuing the whims of a lynch mob. No Edward R. Murrows in this molted mob of 88s and media.
TO 1:30PM--
LOL!
You've got a point there.
:>)
I've said it before and I'll say it again, with very few exceptions admitting error and apologizing seem to be foreign concepts in Durham in general and NC as a whole.
There are too many people who made mistakes and errors in judgment in this case to count. Yet the ones who stepped up and admitted it and apologized can be counted on one hand.
Why people like Ashley can't say they screwed up and apologize while vowing to try to do better in the future is beyond me. It flushes their already shaky credibility down the toilet.
"One: the �scoops� all first appeared in the Herald-Sun. Two: they were all factually wrong."
Bottom line, they threw the slop out there as fast as they could without vetting the facts. What a stupid admission by Bob Ashley.
Thank God for the internet, where the stupidity of the MSM can be aggregated and mocked.
Consistently the best paper in the Triangle over the last year+ has been the Duke Chronicle. Once the N&O got off of the "rush to judgement" PC bandwagon it actually did a pretty fair job of reporting as well.
Now, they have an opportunity to "beat others" to the "larger societal issues" of (for lack of a better term) instituitonal reverse racism on the part of many activists and organizations, of race/sex/socio-economic baiting politics.
No better "larger context" than the LAX case. All terms that were very newsworthy and "scoop" worthy when it was the other way around. Or, they could just go on, like others, showing their bigotry by their selective silence.
Ed
In light of all this garbage reporting, everyone should pay close attention to the "Fairness" doctrine. The same PC crowd is out to stifle talk radio and the blogs. If any statement does not fit the PC agenda, they want fairness in presenting their side. Unfortunately, they believe that the PC MSM is already "fair and balanced". What a crock. Fare and bounced is more like it.
Oh well, what else is new? After all, something happened!
Where are the potbangers and hack journalists?
http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/7033746
similarities to the Duke case-
-athletes at a D1 school accused of rape
differences to the Duke case-
-there was admitted (and in fact videotaped) sex
-black athletes
-$25,000 bond
- little media coverage and no protests
All this and there has been no rush to judgment or guilt presuming media throng. I wonder how the case would be covered if the accused were white?
Hey, to be fair to Ashley (and we know he's a BIG proponent of fairness), he just said that the H-S beat other papers on getting some stories -- he didn't actually say that the H-S got the stories RIGHT.
Don't waste your time hoping the HS, G of 88, Broadhead, et al will ever reflect upon their haste to judge and say something like: "I'm sorry". "I was wrong".
They don't have the intellect to be able to utter those simple words. Why would anyone expect them to get the more complicated correct??? Mental midgets.
Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers.
Since HS's advertising revenues have fallen through the floor (I pulled $79,000 annually late last year)and Duke has decided to use the News & Observer local version for distribution to all students, HS has nowhere to go but NCCU and the blacks in Durham who still want to read that stuff. It's the supermarket tabloid of Durham now.
In a RICO case, the feds go after the gangsters AND their bankers.
I hope the Duke Three seriously consider a civil RICO claim against the DPD, Nifong AND their backers - the Herald-Sun.
Just based upon the mind-numbingly large amount of relevant factual information this "newspaper" failed to print leads me to believe it was a co-conspirator.
When you add, as K.C. Johnson has, the fabricated and non-vetted information, the case gets stronger.
"Racketeering activity" under the RICO statute includes:
"Whoever knowingly uses intimidation, threatens, or corruptly persuades another person, or attempts to do so, or engages in misleading conduct toward another person, with intent to -
(1) influence, delay, or prevent the testimony of any person in an official proceeding;
(2) cause or induce any person to -
(A) withhold testimony, or withhold a record, document, or other object from an official proceeding;
(b) alter, destroy, mutilate, or conceal an object with intent to impair the object's integrity or availability for use in an official proceeding ...."
Section 1512 U.S.C.
"Racketeering activity" is also defined to include retaliating against a witness. Id. at 1513.
We know that Nifong, Gottlieb and Wilson were feeding "insider" information to this paper, and that the paper was a willing arm of the malicious prosecution.
Just one example is the Victor Olatoye incident. Another is the paper's coverage of Elmostafa. Nifong and Wilson used the Herald-Sun in the same manner a crime syndicate boss might use guys named "Sal" or "Vinnie."
The real criminal "bankers" in this case were the local newspapers who dealt in the currency of false information. For that, they should be held accountable.
________________
"After K.C. Johnson conclusively proved the existence of God using only a paper clip, length of twine and an old aluminum coffee can, McGyver walked off the set in a fit of pissy green rage." (TV Guide, 7/4/92). MOO! Gregory
gregory is so brilliant. bet he's good in bed!
Mike Lee said:
"Why people like Ashley can't say they screwed up and apologize while vowing to try to do better in the future is beyond me. It flushes their already shaky credibility down the toilet."
This has been my biggest question throughout this whole mess. In my opinion, the G88 are the most culpable because they are professors at a major teaching institution (and don't get me started on their duty to their student charges.)
I didn't have a huge problem with their original listenting statement, thinking it was well-intentioned if sadly misguided and not too bright. But to refuse to come out in the immediate aftermath with a mea culpa is just not excusable, IMHO.
-RD
Somewhat off topic - and maybe I missed it. Speaking of the Duke Chronicle, I remember someone and/or group wanted to re-print a related T. Sowell piece as a paid advertisement in the Chronicle. Did that happen? I checked on-line and did not see it - is it in the June 21st issue? Thanks,
Ed
Much as we would like to see people like Ashley put into stocks in the public square for ridicule, we should take comfort that the marketplace works.
The rag that Ashley edits is on its way down, and possibly out of business. Advertisers and the general public find it increasingly hard to justify using such a low quality publication.
And Pinch and his cronies are running the NYT into the ground also. They think they are protected from scrutiny with their special class shares of stock ownership, but it just means they do more damage before the other investors can step in.
I won't buy another copy of the Durham Morning Herald or the NYT, until they print their last edition. But I do look forward to owning that last edition.
D White
I'm waiting for the class actions to be filed ...
4:54 pm (the first),
Don’t know about Gregory’s prowess in the bedroom but his MOOisms are funny. Your oneliner, on the otherhand, in the space of just a few short days approaches the level of tedium heretofore reached only by the inquisitor of all persons communist.
KC,
Maybe I missed it ---- Why are you going to Israel?
What's the deal with Ashley and the publishers?
The paper is losing readership under his guidance (LOL). Why has he kept his job?
He has not kept his job based on ability, the circulation numbers show just the opposite.
It is hard to continue any interest here as this board races towards last place with pre-teen name calling, gutter language and the comments between the 7-10 regulars who are stroking their own egos and need to appear smart.
The students who read this board must be ready to hang it up.
Even the Duke Community Forum folks are wondering what is going on.
Nothing to learn here today and yesterday, for that matter except for what KC has to say.
::
GP
After taking a short trip through Google to see what I could find about bottom-feeding Ashley that might be new......I came upon this from last year.
I was just reading the text, liked it, and wanted to link it. I didn't check the writer until I was in the process of linking......
....and it was KC!
KC_By_Accident
Debrah
TO 5:22PM--
I have no idea why you are addressing me with your porno, Polanski.
Try addressing the poster to whom the comment belongs. I would appreciate it.
Debrah
Debrah
I'm imitating Polanski. Apologize.
To Anon @ 5:13: About the lawsuits, they should just get it over with and change the name of the state to "North Seligmann." The capital can be "Evanstown," and Durham then becomes "Finnertyville."
Of course, you'll need some cooperation from South Carolina, but the good folks in Columbia are usually pretty accommodating.
____________
To Anon @ 4:22: Is $79k right? That sounds like what the advertising income of the Duke Chronicle might be. Do they pay their reporters in extra newspapers? If so, what kind of economy does Durham have if the legal tender consists of old Herald-Sun papers? I can hear the cashier now: "That'll be forty-three Sunday editions and a Stevenson column."
____________
To Anon @ 2:55: I agree with both points. The Duke Chronicle, especially the editorial board, did a fantastic job. Wonder how many stick around to work in Durham?
The N&O, under almost the exclusive by-line of Joe Neff, did a good job after the initial "rush to judgment." O.K., Niolet and Blythe did pretty good. But did that make up for Saunders and the editors? Even as Neff was pumping out excellent journalism, the N&O was hiding the "Kim rape" from the world.
It is my belief that the N&O was just biased at the start (and maybe at the end) of the case. The Herald-Sun, on the other hand, went well beyond simple bias.
______________
Newton's Fourth Law of Motion: "Without gravity, we might lose K.C. Johnson to outer space, possibly another planet." (Sir Isaac Newton, Principia Mathematica, 1686) MOO! Gregory
People like Ashley and institutions like the Herald have what is, in this arena, something like an advantage. Because they already know they are lying scum they are not deterred by arguments or evidence that would shame or even stun folk with a functioning conscience.
On the other hand, this sort are not likely to be able to gather around themselves very many loyal allies. That is why,if we can keep our nerve, we will beat them like red-headed step-children.
5:32
Sorry to disappoint.
I thought yesterday went fairly well...
after KC cleaned house.
I think it was a lighten-up day,
after the heavier-than-usual intellectual lifting the day before
Today, the discussion on NPR was...
interesting. I agree with you about the pre-teen name calling, (but you likely thought my comments
about Gurganus were more of the same.) I thought Gurganus got a measure of what he meted out, frankly.
Frankly, I've admired what you have written in the past, but I
understand now that you mostly
respond to what others offer, not
commenting so much on KC's commentary. That's ok, but that's
how it appears.
Would hate to lose your voice.
Polanski imitator
Could you at least try to be a little bit more imaginative?
P
"Today, in a stunning development, President Bush announced that Condaleeza Rice has recused herself from the upcoming mid-East summit between the Palestian West Bank government, the Israeli's and the US. Of particualr interest is that the US Senate and House of Representatives immediately, and unanomously, endorsed Rice' replacement. Little is know of his replacement outside of a small but growing "justice" revolution. Nonetheless, the replacement has already started to receive accolades. KC Johnson will be introduced tomorrow by his friend and publicist, Mr. MOO! Gregory." Brian Williams, NBC News, July 18, 2007.
BAA.
OH, and reference the H-S --- they did too get a lot of scoops ... problem is, they were focused on the cat litter.
TO 5:32PM--
I find your comments disgusting in their attempt to enforce blue-haired house rules.
This is not William F. Buckley's parlor; however, even when he's under the glass playing his harpsichord.....
.....scatology might compete with the keys.
Scat! Scat! Scat!
After all.....tomorrow IS another day.
Debrah
7:51
Say what? What is "blue-haired house rules"?
TO 8:05PM--
That's shorthand for stuffy geriatrics who want everything quiet by high tea time.
In other words.....a "graveyard with lights" (that's a Debrah original, BTW)......where people are already dead. They just don't know it.
:>)
Debrah
Debrah
Slippery slope here. Geriatric bashing?
When I was young, the Communist Government in
Russia totally controlled the news, only reporting
what it wanted to report and even lying to the people
of that closed society who basically had no
alternative news sources.
That scenario was taken to the extreme in the classic
Orwellian novel 1984.
However, today, rather than the 1984 scenario
playing out in Russia, it is actually happening here
in the US with the mainstream media. They
clearly ignore some news and spin other news in
a way that fits their liberal mantra.
This case was a clear example.
Of course, there is one big difference: profits.
The desire to make a profit motivates newspapers
to want to be the first to report a big scoop.
But when the people-in-charge like Ashley
choose fostering their liberal mantra over
profitability, when the scoop doesn't fit their
liberal mantra, the 1984 scenario hits ever closer
to home. (The Herald-Sun clearly lied to the
people in Durham at certain points in this case.)
Of course, there's Fox News and Talk Radio
to counter the mainstream media, BUT alas the
Fairness Doctrine ...
Debrah,
Re: 5:32 and 7:51:
Actually, and in deference to thoughts of proper decorum, GP makes a good point. The banter yesterday (and perhaps on prior occassions) demonstrated a re-emergence of pre-teen intellect. It's good to be and think young,...just not... quite... that ... young. And, for the record, I am as guilty as the next person. Perhaps, even more so, for I often seek humor and ribald nuance.
So, as a responsible citizen of this virtual source of information and amusement, I swear I will never use the word "Tiny" again.
"Humongous" is still however in my vocabulary.
___________________________________
But with due respect to KC, I promise to use it sparingly and only if needed to fend off aggressive discourse.
TO 8:16PM--
Listen, this is the internet. No one is spared.
We will all be geriatric one day.....if we stick around long enough.
I don't find that a touchy subject. Someone above dissed "teens" and stereotyped that whole group by alluding to them.
You mean you don't get a rush saying whatever you want....within reason? It's America!
())))))))))) Star Spangled Banner can be heard in the background ())))))))))
Debrah
TO "inman"--
I don't care for the "teen stuff" personally; however, I am not going to try to hold an entire blog hostage with my desires......diss the place.....insult people, and then say that I'm going to take my marbles and go home, so to speak.
That's all.
KC is quite good at deleting as needed.
Debrah
to Gary Packwood
re yesterday's thread
Yeah, it got pretty silly, but, on the other hand, what discussion can be had about an author (Gurganus) no one has read? I take responsibility for the penis subthread--or was it a superthread?
Polanski
Have to agree with Packwood. the posting and name calling is really boring. Just stopped by to rad KC's article.
I'm wondering if GP is taking the comments
about Grranus's fetid prose a little
too seriously, since the odors basically wafted from Grranus.
There were an unusual number of deletions: were those
what GP objected to? Or the word-by-word rebuttals to the stuff
Grranus spewed?
Did he object to the crap that was thrown at me
today on the NPR thread, the silly namecalling from
(mostly) trolls?
If so, don't worry on my behalf: I assume I'm hitting my target
when I become a target.
It was a lighten-up day, yesterday.
There were some very good comments
on todays threads, relative to NPR
especially.
Like names? How 'bout "Don" Juan Williams?
Back to the comment about the Herald-Sun having $79k in annual advertisement income: If that is true, and Mike Nifong spent $7.5k on advertising in that newspaper (as reported previously by K.C. Johnson), then Nifong represented more than 1/10th of ad revenue.
I have gone over just some of the old Herald-Sun articles and editorials regarding the case, including the teary-eyed puff pieces about Nifong around election time (x2), and there seems to be enough here to keep a jury and the jury's children and the jury's children's children busy for years. Perhaps the Duke Three should file a separate suit just against the Herald-Sun?
Add in the Gottlieb, Wilson and Nifong leaks, assumed inter-office and intra-office e-mails, the monetary conflict of interest and the hundreds upon hundreds of articles, letters and editorials involved, and you have a very long trial. Bridge:
___________________
"Running around crying rape all whacked out on Scooby Snacks"
___________________
Again, if we are to believe that the Herald-Sun chose to "lie" or omit foundational facts, then what must the underlying assumption be to come to that decision:
1. The African-American community would not appreciate the truth?
2. The African-American community would appreciate a nice lynching of rich, white males?
3. Detailed comparisons of the evidence would have gone over the heads of the intended audience?
4. The African-American community would not buy a paper that tarnished their view of Mangum or Durham's first Black D.A., Mike Nifong?
Whatever the underlying assumption, it just shows how a PC mindset will end up being discriminatory in the most subtle and evil way. At least with the Klan, you can spot the sheet and smell the bad breath. Bridge:
__________________
"Running around crying rape all whacked out on Scooby Snacks"
__________________
Remember the "BILLY MUMY POSTULATE" of "Pathos Theory"? Perhaps we should add another component to the equation?
In a closed politically correct system, the "Fear" caused by the "Number" of people with "Power" who rule based upon PC SHOULD be regulated in some way by the interdiction of a free press (or the "Likelihood" that somebody will smack them down). Thus, the new equation looks like this:
F = (N x P) - L
In the roiling midst of professional protestors and the agenda-driven biases of the folks at the Herald-Sun, there was no check on the political correctness. This would be similar to what Michael @ 8:16 described about the Soviet Union. Bridge:
___________________
"Running around crying rape all whacked out on Scooby Snacks"
___________________
To Inman @ 7:33: Hey, I'm just a fan. I'm a fan of you too! Has anyone done anything with the Disney slogan, "It all started with a mouse"? I think that slogan has potential application to this case. How about you?
___________________
"When the Chinese robots descended, only K.C. Johnson, among the four branches of American government, stood his ground and gave them a re-boot in their circuit-laden [censored per Packwood's request]" WWWIII: Didn't See That One Coming, Didja? (Hung Low, Beijing Press). MOO! Gregory
The other day I listened to NPR. They interviewed a political science professor who said he recently dropped reading the NYT and now reads the Wall St. Journal every day. I couldn't believe it. Even the crossword puzzle doesn't get me to buy the Times these days.
Serious question:
If I have a relevant word document that I would like to publish on the web, how do I do that?
Thanks!
I'll jump in here and comment on the side argument. There are several relevant and well organized websites that were begun as a result of the Nifong fiasco.
I have found most of them interesting and informative, many times educational. But this one started by Professor is far superior than the rest.
Not criticizing, mind you, but the others are either too full of Duke parents (ok, but no one wants that every day). Or too full of just students (fine, but I want all opinions and views from all segments of society).
Because of Johnson's rare ability to put forth information in an intelligent and understandable manner that is extraordinarily researched and all encompassing, this website is the best I have visited on this issue. I enjoy the variety of people who show up here. You have it all. Most are interesting, some are very intelligent, and others are just characters. A few talented ones seem to enjoy their ability to stir things up.
A few should be writing full time or otherwise take their show on the road (just an expression).
So in concluding, I understand a few who want a different atmosphere, so those people should find another place they can enjoy. Johnson's website hasn't attracted millions of readers and viewers by being mediocre or by not having interesting people. It's possible that some on the other websites are a little jealous.
Just my 2 cents.
Inre: Ashley...
"The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house." - Audre Lorde
10:23
You're a damned fool troll. Probably from another blog. What an idiot.
9:32 Inman inre: word doc
Edit it, save it in final form after you have tracked changes, and then convert it to a .pdf so that it cannot be modified.
That's all I know. Good luck.
With all due respect, who is janis klyzenstein? And under what conditions should I in any way pay attention to her drivel...oops...excuse me..."comments".
Bad news:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/ncaa/07/18/minnesota.dismissals.ap/index.html?eref=fannation
'The Narrative Was Right, but the Facts Were Wrong'
http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/?id=110010350#narrative
Thanks KC for the delete - They are coming out of the garbage can again.
10:33 You debate like a school yard bully. What are you people doing on this board? You are not running them off. Most people use ato be here for good debate. Many are leaving because people like you are ruining this board. Bet KC can not wait to get to Israel.
It seems that Ashley is using the "oops" defense to avoid the glaring fact that the Herald-Sun was a major player in the conspiracy to violate the rights of the Duke students.
This was the same type of defense that Mike Nifong attempted at his bar hearing, for example:
"Oops, I wasn't thinking when I made that statement about condoms to the media."
"Oops, I thought that the exculpatory DNA evidence had already been turned over."
Here is what Ashley has said, according to K.C. Johnson:
"We were operating in a very difficult environment with media from all over the country...."
"We weren't prepared for what turned out to be the enormously nonexistent case of the district attorney."
A word has been coined to describe what Bob Ashley and Mike Nifong are attempting:
"NEH'-GLAH-TEN-SHUH-NAL" n. Of or relating to farcical claims that obviously intentional and malicious crimes were mere negligent mental lapses, even though the sheer number of the infractions, their severity, and contradictory physical evidence or testimony establishes conclusively that malicious intent was involved. usage: "Bob Ashley's claim of mere negligence in the face of a ton of contrary evidence was neglitentional." vb. - ed; adj. - lly.
When the civil jury sees all the exculpatory evidence that the Herald-Sun had at its disposal, and then sees what the newspaper actually reported, "neglitentional" won't fly.
Like Nifong, Ashley is able to temporarily save face with this farcical claim, but, again like Nifong, the Herald-Sun's day will come in a legal tribunal when the ultimate trier of fact will laugh at that defense.
____________________
Chuck Norris dreams about someday being like K.C. Johnson (excerpted from one of Chuck Norrises' dreams). MOO! Gregory
Between the H-S and that clownish little man who runs it, there are all the ingredients for a Christopher Guest satire.
Just to clarify the facts: I personally took away $79,000 annnual advertising for my company alone from the HS....that is in no way their annual advertising revenue, so Nifong's ads do not represent 10%. Just want to make that clear, thanks.
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