this hearsay argument has been discussed endlessly on these Penn State threads.
The rules of hearsay are rules of evidence for the courts - not for reporting child abuse in the first place.
The police, the lawyers, and the judges are the ones that make determinations about rules of evidence.
Ordinary citizens who learn of child rape are morally obligated to seek help for that child.
An eyewitness to child rape described what he SAW to JoePa - on JoePa’s own turf.
It isn’t that JoePa could possibly have felt powerless.
We’ve already learned what he can do when he doesn’t like an administrator...when he wanted that woman fired, he threatened Spanier he would stop fundraising if she wasn’t dismissed.
If only he had gotten that upset and angry over child rape.
The Grand Jury report stated the Paterno met the legal obligation under the Pennsylvania State Code, in fact, the law did not require Paterno to do more what he did.
You say that “Ordinary citizens who learn of child rape are morally obligated to seek help for that child.” I agree with this statement. However, what is the moral metric that you have now invented to judge whether someone has acted morally and should we apply to everyone now for every crime?
What if Joe called the police and the dispatch at the police taken down the information. Has the moral metric been met, or does Joe have to commandeered a squad car and personally arrest Sandusky? This is why we have laws in the country.
Apparently Paterno informed Curely. This was also in the Grand Jury report.