Responding to momofthree

Readers’ Note: For some months, a visitor self-identifying as momofthree has commented here.

Momofthree (mo3) has been kind as regards my Duke hoax posts. But mo3 has also pointed out investigative and legal questions mo3 encouraged me to pursue. Sometimes mo3 has come back to the same questions and given me another prod, always gently and civilly.

I’ve appreciated mo3’s comments and the information mo3’s provided.

I’ve read them all, but I’ve not posted on any and, until about 10 days ago, I’ve never directly acknowledged mo3’s comments.

But at that time, in a “Talking with JinC Regulars and Reader/Commenters” post, I said I’d soon respond to mo3 directly and here on the main page.

Here goes.
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Dear momofthree,

Responding to you is also a chance to tell other visitors, some of whom are new to JinC, something about what I try to do here with regard to the Duke hoax. So I’m responding on the main page.

I’ve appreciated all your comments. They’ve informed and encouraged me.

But you can ask, “Then why didn’t you pursue the questions I asked?”

Mainly because your questions have involved fairly complex legal matters; and that’s not my area. While I appreciate being alerted to them, other bloggers have a better understanding of such matters and write more cogently on them

Example: Beginning in May, I wrote a series of posts concerning requests attorney Alex Charns, representing an unidicted Duke lacrosse, has make to the Durham Police Department and the City of Durham regarding a CrimeStoppers poster Charns maintains libeled his client and the rest of the Duke Men's lacrosse team.

Charns you no doubt know, but others reading this may not know, has asked Durham Police and City for a full, public apology and an official investigation into police conduct related to the “Wanted” poster which CrimeStoppers produced and distributed in late March. Durham Police and City maintain they’re done nothing wrong.

As a result of face-to-face and phone interviews with Charns, Police and City officials, and others; and through document reviews and readings of rules and regulations governing Police and City conduct in such matters, I realized I was getting into areas other bloggers could better understand and more effectively communicate to readers.

So I talked to historian and blogger KC Johnson. In addition to being a superb blogger, KC has taught Constitutional law courses at the university level. He agreed to take on Charns/CrimeStoppers as one of his areas of interest.

That enabled me to get back to investigating and posting on matters I feel better able to deal with. For example, establishing when the Raleigh News & Observer first learned of the extensive cooperation the three Duke lacrosse captains who rented the house voluntarily provided Durham police. And learning when the N&O reported that cooperation to readers; and in what detail.

I’ll be posting those questions later today to the N&O’s managing editor, John Drescher, who’s just begun blogging at the Editors’ Blog.

I want you and others to also know I sometimes pass on to other bloggers items commenters have called to my attention that I think they can assess and respond to better than I.

I hope you’ll continue to visit and comment here as you wish.

Finally, since you first started commenting here, I’m sure you’ve noticed and cheered the growth in the number and quality of blogs now regularly covering the Duke hoax.

That’s a wonderful note on which to end.

Every blessing to you and those with you,

John