Even better now

Last September I posted: “Duke lacrosse: Lots of good posts.”

I said a few words about and linked to posts by the usual suspects – Durham-in-Wonderland, Johnsville News and Liestoppers.

I did the same with posts by Bill Anderson (It’s the classic “Duke’s Reichstag Fire."), Mike Gaynor, and Melanie Sill at the Editors’ Blog who was attempting to explain away the N&O's inadequate reporting on DPD Sgt. Mark Gottlieb's very troubling treatment of Duke students.

I re-read those posts this morning. The passing of time has left them better now than in September.

For example, a Liestoppers post featured Durham Herald Sun editor Bob Ashley in LS’s Meet the Enablers Series. Here’s Bob talking about H-S Hoax news reporting:

“We've treated that part of the story, quite frankly, much like The New York Times has.”

Funny then; funnier now.

Here’s another:

“We've tried to consistently remind that all the facts aren't out, and that the defense attorneys are releasing just what fragments of the total evidence they choose to make public."

That was Bob during the DA election campaign. If anyone couldn’t see how Bob was spinning for Nifong then, I hope they can now.

I’m reposting “Duke lacrosse: Lots of good posts” so you can access and enjoy those "better now posts."

I’d love to hear your reactions, especially from those of you who read the posts last September.

John
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William Anderson reminds us of what much of Duke campus was like last Spring. He tells us how and why it was that way.

Attorney Mike Gaynor is calling on the accuser to come forward; tell the truth; and end the hoax and the injustices and miseries its spawned. Key graf:

The Duke case should be put out of its misery, so the undeserved misery of the Duke Three and their families and friends can be alleviated, they can move on with their lives, and the people of Durham County can do what they need to do.

I hope it happens, Mike, but I'm not holding my breath.

Liestoppers has two posts up today. One is “Let the Great Axe Fall.” I’ll bet you can guess whose head they want. Liestoppers' Meet the Enablers Series has a very deserving “honoree” today: Durham Herald Sun Editor Bob Ashley.

Besides serving as Liestoppers Enabler “honoree,” Ashley’s doing double duty today serving as KC Johnson’s “piñata of the day.” Here’s part of what KC says:

In the lacrosse case, Ashley has failed at performing the basic journalistic task of speaking truth to power–and in an affair where the representatives of "power" desperately need rebuke. But he’s not a very good propagandist, either. His paper’s columns and articles are either comically heavy-handed (as in the editorial praising Chalmers’ alleged openness) or unintentionally helpful to critics of Nifong and Gottlieb. No wonder the Herald-Sun’s circulation figures continue to plunge. Hilarity on the news and editorial pages, whether intended or not, isn’t a good selling point.

You may be asking: It there any life left in Ashley’s H-S. Johnsville News offers its answer: “Duke Case: Death Spiral for The Herald-Sun”

The Herald-Sun may be another casualty of the Duke rape hoax. The case has been an acid test for North Carolina journalists. It looks like the acid from this case may peel away the remaining dead flesh from the corpse of The Herald-Sun.

When Bob Ashley first took over as H-S editor in December 2004 he said to me: “Give me some time, John. I’ll show you what I can do with this paper.”

I did; he has.

One final link is to the Raleigh N&O's Editors' Blog post "Duke lacrosse latest: Gottlieb profile." Scroll down and take a look at what reader/commenters are posting on the thread.