Duke lacrosse: Questions for the Raleigh News & Observer

At Raleigh News & Observer’s Editor Blog readers have been expressing outrage at the N&O’s Duke lacrosse reporting which has helped make a terrible situation worse, including more dangerous. They're also asking N&O executive editor for news Melanie Sill some tough questions and pointing out important aspects of the story the N&O has chosen to ignore.

Here are examples of what readers are saying:

I have to read posters comments to find out that the False Accuser's boyfriend is in Jail, along with her Ex-husband, and her good friend. Murchison's Kin is now in Jail?
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Nifong is a Democrat and a Media Darling and it seems the Media has absolutely no interest in uncovering this story.
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Whose names are on the cell phone of the accuser? Could it be names of political, law enforcement or judicial personnel
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Here is a big Hint! Michael Cornacchiais, he is one of Finnerty attorney's and is a specialist in private & government corruption investigations. He was the chief investigative counsel under Paul Volcker for the investigation of the UN Oil-for Food Scandal and a former US Eastern asst District Prosecutor. You see him with Kevin Finnerty on many occasions, both in DC & Durham.
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After a week of silence Sill responded to readers today with a few PR type comments. Here’s part of her latest comment made 7/7 at 13: 27

I truly appreciate all of the comments, but I will be posting next week on new topics and unless we report a story that prompts another post on the case I will not be responding further to comments in this thread. Many of your questions are good ones to pose to key players in the case -- we'll report all that we know (according to our standards of verification and sourcing).(bold mine)

It’s a shame Sill won’t respond to many important questions. There’s so much readers want to know that she hasn’t told us

Why, for instance, did the N&O on Apr. 2 publish the “vigilante poster” knowing that doing so would only make things more dangerous for the players?

What was the purpose of publishing it anyway? The story it accompanies doesn’t even mention the “vigilante poster.”

You can read at the bottom of the poster photo that only 43 players are pictured on it because Duke removed from a website the photos of the other players.

That’s true enough. Duke pulled the other players’ photos because of concerns for their safety.

But for some reason the N&O decided not to tell that to readers. Why?

Sill talks about “our standards of verification and sourcing.”

What individual(s) or organization(s) was the source of the “vigilante poster?” What verification did the N&O do?

I’ve asked four people at the N&O those questions about sourcing and verification. No one has given me any answer other “You’ll have to ask someone else,” “I can’t tell you who worked on the story,” and N&O public editor Ted Vaden's response in a phone conversation: “I’m just not going to answer those questions. I’ve got to go now.”

I hope you visit the Editor’s Blog, read what Sill and readers have posted, and perhaps leave your own questions and comments.

Sill has said often that’s she’s “proud” of the N&O’s Duke lacrosse reporting.

Here’s a question we should all be asking her: “What’s to be proud of?”