Monday, March 14, 2011

The Chronicle Remembers

Interviews with '06 and '07 editors Seyward Darby and Ryan McCartney. I never met Darby; I had a few conversations with McCartney (whose work I admired very much). Both are asked--appropriately--what they would do differently, with the benefit of hindsight; and both have some ideas. But from my perspective, both performed extraordinarily well under extraordinarily challenging circumstances.

And, it's worth remembering: as they and their colleagues repeatedly outperformed the New York Times, they were full-time college students.

7 comments:

Quasimodo said...

""...as they and their colleagues repeatedly outperformed the New York Times, they were full-time college students."

No college editor--and I doubt
any high school editor--would put
booking mug shots on the cover of a magazine.

If they did, their faculty advisor would
explain to them why this was
bad journalism--it would defame
people who were still considered innocent
and unfairly paint them as guilty
in the minds of the public.

Maybe some MSM editors should
be forced to repeat Journalism 101...

A Duke Dad said...

There are 12 comments on the Chronicle interview with Ryan McCartney. (Follow the link)

Check out those by "senoritaRita". Sounds precisely like a Gang-of-88'er -- lying, twisted mudslinger -- Claims to be an undergrad, but actually registered on 3/14/11 for Chronicle comments just to post repeatedly on the article.

Anonymous said...

An anniversary Duke will try to overlook


http://www.thedurhamnews.com/2011/03/13/205941/an-anniversary-duke-will-try-to.html

Anonymous said...

I'm reminded of a big civil rape trial going on in San Jose, CA right now. The DA, after review from the State Attorney General, decided not to pursue an alleged rape. The alleged victim sued 9 defendants for negligence and other causes of action, and suits against 6 of them have been thrown out. One of the current defendants is alleged to have been witness to the alleged rape for 45 seconds. In any case, the public reaction is that despite such a lack of evidence, all alleged perpetrators are guilty.

Anonymous said...

One former editor is now at The New Republic. The other is at MSNBC. I wonder if they encounter any groupthink there and if so do they speak truth to power.

Chris Halkides said...

I agree with Quasimodo about the cover of Newsweek. The discussion of this in the American Journalism Review is very good.

Gary Packwood said...

Darby and McCartney did much more than just report the facts. Their cobbled together teams of student journalists and went searching for the truth as investigative journalists. I enjoyed following their work.

And I doubt they are finished with the Duke lacrosse rape hoax project.

I sensed several times that Darby and McCartney had at their finger tips archival newspaper records of similar false accusations and charges brought against Duke students over the years and they have those records safely sealed away.

Sealed away and waiting for the proper time to pen the final chapter in the careers of dozens of Duke faculty, staff and former students who maliciously sought-out white male athletes to persecute.

Should be interesting reading for all of us to include criminal justice professionals and FIRE.

Be patient Ryan and Seyward.
::
GP