About December & Addison

Earlier today I said I’d begin posting tomorrow, Feb. 12, a series concerning Durham police Cpl. David Addison.

I also said I explain why I hadn’t published a series about him last December, as I’d said I would.

Three things delayed the series.

One - Last Spring and early-Summer, I published often on Addison’s actions. I thought those posts would give me a strong base for the December series. They did.

But since last Spring much more information about Addison and those critical days last March and April had been revealed than I’d realized. To integrate that information into a series took more time than I’d allowed.

Two – When I contacted sources to update and double checked information, many of them provided new information and background that I needed time to digest.

What I was getting wasn’t “Deep Throat” material. A professional reporter might easily in a few days have woven the information and background into the series. But I couldn’t.

Three – I often find it tough to write about the Hoax and its monumental injustices.

That’s especially true whenever I get close to the start of the witch hunt and the frame-up. They did such great harm to innocent people and yet could’ve easily been prevented, or at least quickly exposed and corrected.

Here's one example of what I mean ---

Could we have had the “wall of silence” falsehood;” the “Wanted” and “Vigilante” posters; and the endangerment of the players, other Duke students, and really, any bystander in Durham, if the N&O, along with reporting Addison’s false claims, had also reported statements by Duke’s John Burness, DPD Sgt. Mark Gottlieb and others that the players had cooperated with police?

Or if ….

I could cite many more “ifs.” I’m sure many of you can too.

Bottom line – I frequently "walk away" from the computer.

It hurts to be in touch with all the wrongs that were done and are still playing out; and to know they could so easily have been prevented.

I often ask myself how the players, their families and close friends can bear to read about what happened.

John