Talking with JinC regulars – 6 -1- 06

(One of a series of posts in the original web log tradition: notes and "thinking out loud." These posts will be most easily understood by regular visitors and are written with them especially in mind. But others are welcome.)

Folks,

In a few minutes I’m going to post on New York Times’ columnist David Brooks May 28 column, The Duke Witch Hunt.

The title lets you know where Brooks is going. What it doesn’t tell you is that in his Apr. 9 column Brooks said some pretty rough things about the Duke lacrosse players, which he now has the grace and decency to acknowledge and correct.

Mentioning the post here gives me another chance to say how good I feel that just about every commenter here held on to sound judgment, respected due process and avoided the trashing of the players.

There weren’t all that many people behaving that way back in late-March and early-April. And there are still plenty now who aren’t acting that way.

Folks, in a tough time you stood out as intelligent, articulate and fair.

I won’t return again to this matter as regards you, but I won’t forget either. You’re a fine group.

I plan to stay with the poster part of the Duke lacrosse story. We’re all going to learn a lot by sticking with that story. These posts started it at JinC.

Duke lacrosse: What about the posters? (May 29)

Duke lacrosse: Crimetoppers poster questions. (May 30)

By way of follow up to those posts I’ve made contact with attorney Alex Charns. He was helpful and shared the material he’s sent to Durham City Manager Patrick Baker.

The posts also let you know I’ve been calling Durham CrimeStoppers and Cpl. Addison.

I called them again this morning. Left VMs. No call backs so far.

Are you surprised?

Yesterday I called Baker’s office asking to see copies of the CrimeStoppers posters.

I was passed on to an assistant’s VM. Left a message yesterday and again today. No call backs.

If I have to, I’ll make a trip down to City Hall early next week.

The two most recent posts concerning N&O coverage of the DLC are very important. I plan to post further on the N&O stories discussed in them. In case you haven’t read them they are:

There are new Duke lacrosse discrepancies. (May 27)

and

Duke lacrosse: Taking terrible and making it worse (May 31)

The N&O’s March 25 story is perhaps the most important story a newspaper has published so far on the DLC. It appeared just a day after the story broke. It presented the accuser as a very sympathetic victim while telling readers nothing about the cooperative actions of Duke lacrosse players.

The N&O’s story set the bias and inflamed the passions that much of the national media quickly picked up on.

But it started with The N&O.

I’ll post further on that story in a day or so.

BTW – Folks, I’ll bet you all noticed that Cpl. Addison of Durham CrimeStoppers is also quoted in The N&O’s March 25 story as a saying a “crime” was committed in the house

As promised I’ve sent Ted Vaden this post, Duke lacrosse: I'll try McClatchy's public editor again, which links to the other two N&O posts. Let’s see what we hear back.


Sunday Ed Driscoll gave me a nice link on this post: N. Y. Times dissembles in Kerry story. Big JinC traffic jump.

Yes, there is a world beyond the DLC and I'll try to get to it more often in the next few weeks. But the DLC matters are important and not enough media are paying attention to them.

I didn't spell check this or proof carefully. Time's pressing.

John