After “breaking” the Duke lacrosse case on Mar. 24 with a story that repeatedly told readers the accuser was the “victim,” the N&O followed that with more biased and inflammatory stories which effectively framed the Duke students in the public's mind as brutal victimizers of a “soft-spoken” young mother and college student. The N&O even went so far as to publish the infamous “vigilante poster.”
But now most fair-minded people realize what the N&O was selling them was a hoax that the N&O and DA Mike Nifong, enabled by an acquiescent Duke administration and faculty, fanned into hysteria and a witch hunt.
In that environment of false accusations, Duke acquiescence, hysteria and witch hunting a legal frame-up – the indictments of Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and David Evans – became possible.
The Raleigh News & Observer, which only a few months ago was still crowing about its coverage, now doesn’t say much about the hoax. In fact, it still doesn't call it a hoax.
For weeks N&O readers have been providing the N&O’s exec editor for news, Melanie Sill, with information, tips and story ideas, some pointing to a possible connection between protection of prostitution in Durham and the many odd twists and dodges the police/DA investigation has taken.
Sill’s mostly ignored them. She hasn’t said anything at the Editor’s Blog for over three weeks except for one brief comment pointing out a reader error about a story’s location in the N&O.
All of that led a very talented JinC Regular, Joan Foster, to lampoon Sill and the N&O. As you read Joan’s lyrics hum a little of the old Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra favorite “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore”
A Reporter's Lament
Back in early Spring
Man, my cell phone would ring!
Melanie on the line...
Dig up all you can find!
Now I'm lonely and bored
Don't get around much anymore...
Found interviews in the Hood
And quotes the kids were no good.
Ran the poster, ..remember then...
That "Swagger" headline was a gem
Now I sit here ignored.
Don't get around much anymore.
Wanted to hit City Hall
Give Pat Baker a call
One story! He said it!
But Mel says "Forget it."
What AM I here for...?
Don't get around much anymore.
Thought I'd drive round the State
Talk to other D.A.'s
"Should the line-ups be tossed?
(They were ONLY Lacrosse)
"Are you kidding?" "What for?'
Don't get around much anymore
Our blogs are loaded with questions
Leads and suggestions
Could win a Pulitzer Prize
But Mel says "No dice."
Might shake Durham to the core?
Don't get around much anymore.
See here's the real scoop
I can go after Duke
Take down out-of -town laddies
That have rich out- of -town daddies
Their misdeeds we adore
And ....go after full bore
It fit our certain world-view
Now we're in quite a stew
So we've "shut down" on this case
I spend days at MySpace
God, the truth is a bore!
Don't get around much anymore
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Duke lacrosse: Lampooning a now reluctant Raleigh N&O
Posted by JWM at 3:40 PM
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10 comments:
Has anyone actually attempted to contact Gary Pruitt, the CEO of McClatchy, about the March 24 and March 25 stories in the Raleigh newspaper and the refusal of the editor of the newspaper to apologize for those stories?
Heh.
Looks like there are interesting developments at the DPD. The Durham police are investigated by Raleigh cops for an assault outside a sports bar.
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/breaking_news/15101999.htm
They didn't name the officers involved. But they did say:
"The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Saturday that Durham police spokeswoman Kammie Michael said the supervisor in the Duke lacrosse rape investigation and an investigator who has worked on the case were placed on administrative duty the day after the incident."
Yep, Gottlieb & Clayton are in trouble for a racist assault incident outside a local bar.
We await the Crimestoppers poster asking the DPD to come forward and tell us who is involved and what happened.
We are tired of the blue wall of silence from the DPD on this matter.
Interesting, in the Weekly Standard:
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/012/455imtqz.asp
It's also worthy to note that the original on-line N&O report had that the cops are white and the cook is black and that racial slurs were exchanged. All that's now been excised from both the on-line edition and the Sunday print version.
Locomotive breath, I left a question for Melanie on that...up TOP in the thread about "providing the public information." It fits the topic, right? Perhaps others will joim me.
To Melanie..as we reach the 200 comment mark.
07/23/06 at 16:37
Two hundred comments, Melanie. Just wanted to say...wish you were here.
Let's clear up any misunderstandings.
We do not expect you to be a fulltime blogger.
We do not expect an answer to every question we pose.
We do not expect you to fall off your chair at each "brillant" suggestion.we make. ...
Nor to answer questions posed with disrespect.
Fair enough.
But we expect you to respond ..occasionally.
We expect an Editor who respects her readership....and shows it by engaging.
An Editor who feels a responsibility to her readership....and shows it by responding.
One who understands in this new journalism you may not impose a monologue which, in essence , Melanie...you have done here.
We expect an Editor who understands that an occasional answer to the complexities of your coverage in regard to this case.is ..at the very least..your obligation to us.
Your silence does not serve you well.
It does not serve the News and Observer well.
It does not serve your readership well.
Silence feeds the conspiracy theorists.
Silence perpetuates misunderstanding.
Silence may be construed as arrogance, or even fear.
Why would an Editor who writes that her duty is to have her reader "armed with information" decide to leave 200 comments un-answered?
You promised to revisit our very limited dialogue when there were new developments in the case. Well, the parties have been back in court, new motions have been made, the two detectives on the case have been suspended in a racially charged incident.
Do the owners and publishers of this newspaper believe that you can speak AT us...and yet refuse to speak TO us?
Do you as Editor believe you are above a civil question or respectful reproach?
Two hundred commentts.
And growing.
Wish you were here.
Here are some links that I believe will be interested
I like it! Good job. Go on.
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