Just a rotten case: As the prosecution of Duke's lacrosse players unravels,

The Plain Dealer ^ | 1/7/07

[Winged Hussar]

Then, just last month, the director of a DNA laboratory that tested samples taken from the woman testified that he and the prosecutor had agreed in May to withhold some of the findings. The exculpatory nature of the results - specifically, that the swabs included traces of semen from several men, none of them the Duke defendants - offer the strongest evidence yet that the prosecutor himself should be the subject of an investigation, and that he should have no further connection with this case.

[Fido969]

Journalism involves a discipline of accuracy, verification, fairness, public-mindedness and truth-telling.

Well, yes, and how did the MSM cover this situation for months?

With NONE of the above.

[Neverforget01]

Duke needs to dump this guy--he keeps making matters worse?

Why is he carrying on about "underlying issues" instead of the obvious innocence of his own students?

What on earth was the purpose of this letter?

[abb]

Excellent get, JLS. In the finest traditions of Freeperdom!

[JLS]

Thank you, I take that as a high compliment coming from you.

[sodpoodle]

I notice you have a son in Iraq. IMHO you appear to have raised son(s) with integrity, not rumor mongers.

Some veteran participants in the DukeLax threads since March 2006 get quite incensed when some of us ask legitimate questions.

Hang in there!

Thank your son for performing his patriotic duty and thank you for raising him.

sp

[secret garden]

He left out the part where he was driven to do the honorable and resign in light of how his actions completely contradicted what he says now.

[abb]

NandO Busted

http://rdu.news14.com/content/headlines/?ArID=97694&SecID=2

www.news14.com


Manipulated pictures raise ethical questions
Updated: 1/5/2007 7:20:16 PM
By: Heather Moore

CHAPEL HILL, NC – The News and Observer ran a photo illustration of embattled North Carolina Speaker of the House Jim Black wearing an apron from the International House of Pancakes in it's Thursday and Friday editions.

The N&O modified the picture of Black to add the apron and published it on two consecutive days in two different sections without labeling it as an altered illustration. The paper admitted it should have been labeled as a photo illustration in its corrections section Friday.

It was part of a parody suggesting in the new year, Black should open an optometry practice next to an IHOP restaurant, where former Representative Michael Decker claims he was given a $50,000 bribe to switch parties to keep Jim Black as Speaker of the House.

News 14 Carolina tried to contact Jim Black for his reaction to the altered picture. He did not return our calls.

Even professionals, like Lois Boynton, an Assistant Professor in UNC’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, couldn't tell the picture was a fake.

“I didn't particularly have a clue that this was, in any way, a manipulated photo,” Boynton said. “If it is a real person, there ought to be some indication when you are in some way playing with the photograph.”

The altered picture first ran in Thursday's paper on the second page, previewing a story in Friday's edition. It ran again in Friday's What's Up section. Neither of those images was accompanied by a disclaimer advising readers it was an altered photo.

The paper admitted in its corrections section Friday that it should have labeled the picture as a photo illustration.

Robert Miller, The News and Observer's Director of Photography, said it is rare for the N&O to print modified pictures.

“We rarely will do photo illustrations,” Miller explained. “We try to have discussions about it if we're going to do it and make sure the labeling is correct.”

Miller said the illustration running without a label, particularly the one on Thursday's page two was simply a mistake.

“We didn't determine the photo was out of place and that was just a slip up, that's a mistake,” he continued.

By the time the N&O caught the error, Friday's What's Up section, with the altered photo, was already printed and could not be fixed.

Boynton hopes this episode will ultimately result in a better newspaper.

“This really is an error and I think they did a good job of correction that error,” Boynton said. “No doubt, there will be discussions in the newsroom to make sure that type of thing doesn’t happen again, that they do reveal what they’ve done to their photographs.”

News 14 Carolina has its own policy on the use of altered pictures, video, or sound. It states, "With the advent of increasingly sophisticated electronic technology, we must remain vigilant in ensuring the integrity of the pictures and sound recordings we use in our news programming. No electronic manipulation or alteration of photographs, videotape, or audiotape that would mislead our viewers is permitted."

[secret garden]

Whoops. What I meant to say was this:
He left out the part where he was driven to do the honorable thing and resign in light of how his actions completely contradicted what he says now.

[Locomotive Breath]

Yeah but it was Duke that made them the offer they couldn't refuse.

[Jezebelle]

Surely Vanderbilt has been made aware of this by now? If not, perhaps it should be sent to the campus paper and various student organizations?

[Locomotive Breath]

Lest it be forgot, Baker was involved in the infamous "water buffalo" incident at Penn. An so was Moneta.

http://durhamwonderland.blogspot.com/2007/01/baker-in-his-own-words.html

[Sue Perkick]

And God didn't make little green apples. And it don't rain in Indianapolis in the summertime....

[Sue Perkick]

LOL

[Jezebelle]

This guy needs to have a stake driven through his heart.

[Jezebelle]

He may. Sacrificial lamb and all that. I hope the boys don't consider that to be a sufficient mea culpa.

[toldyou]

Thanks so much for the ping....nice of you!

[toldyou]

"This guy needs to have a stake driven through his heart."

You are too kind!

[Mad-Margaret]

No offense taken. Never from you. :)

[abb]

Just had this exchange.

Dear,

Thank you for your close reading of our story today on Prof. Baker. We
are fixing the headline in question on our Web site, and I have brought
the matter to the attention of our copy desk for a possible correction.
Thanks for writing.

Ricky Young
City editor
The Tennessean

-----Original Message-----
From:
Sent: Monday, January 08, 2007 12:51 PM
To: Howard, Kate
Subject: Re: VU professor was Duke lacrosse critic


Kate,

I read your story this morning about Houston Baker. I've been following
the DukeLax story from the beginning and remember when Baker left Duke
for Vandy. Your story indicates he left Duke in protest over the
controversy.
Baker indicated otherwise back in June.

"'We just got absolutely unrefusable offers,' said Houston Baker, who
added that the recruiting by Vanderbilt began before the lacrosse story
broke."

and,

"Baker said he's leaving Duke for reasons unrelated to lacrosse,
including cultural life in Nashville and proximity to family in Atlanta.
But he thinks black students and professors may pause when considering
Duke."

Here's a link to the story.
http://www.newsobserver.com/145/story/447255.html

[Howlin]

Good for you!!!