Posted on 07/26/2003 3:34:32 AM PDT by mhking
Boca Raton, Fla. -- The Globe supermarket tabloid has published a picture of a woman it claims is the accuser in the sexual assault case against basketball star Kobe Bryant.
The cover photograph has a black strip over the woman's eyes in editions that hit newsstands Friday afternoon.
The woman's name has been on the radio in at least 60 cities and posted on various Internet sites, complete with address, phone number and, in several cases, photographs of the wrong women.
Globe Editor Candace Trunzo defended the use of the photo and the two-page profile of the woman.
"The accusations of sexual assault against Kobe Bryant is a newsworthy matter of tremendous public interest," Trunzo said in a statement. "The Globe is a national news tabloid."
The tabloid did not give the woman's name.
Virtually all American newspapers and news organizations, including The Associated Press, have policies against releasing the identities of sexual assault victims and have not named Bryant's accuser.
The Los Angeles Lakers star was charged with felony sexual assault after the 19-year-old woman told authorities he attacked her at an Edwards, Colo., resort June 30. Bryant said the sex was consensual.
Also Friday, news cameras will be allowed inside the courtroom at Bryant's hearing Aug. 6, a judge ruled.
A live audio feed will also be permitted, Eagle County District Judge Fred Gannett said. He placed no restrictions on what the cameras could record.
Gannett's order allows one pool TV camera and one pool still photographer in the courtroom.
Women are flying fighter aircraft and can join the Army...they can deal with this new reality.
Really?
The man is a damned basketball player, for cripes sake!
Who the hell cares?
Can someone, anyone, please, tell me why this crap attracts the attention that it does.
I am amazed at the fact that this has actually captivated the attention of a nation at war.
This bozo's sole contribution to society is a dubious ability to throw a basketball around.
Why would anyone with a modicum of sense lionize him for it?
unless she's a victim of a Kennedy.
If I were in charge, both the accussed and the victim would not be named if they so chose.
Didn't this person appear on "Star Search" some months back? That doesn't seem like something a "private" person would do.
Granted, in this case (rape), privacy can be granted. However, this person appears to have a pattern of going out of her way not to be very private. If what her friends, wintesses, (rumors) say are true.
If this girl has had problems with attempted suicide, "bragging" about Kobe's anatomy after the "traumatic" incident...and she wants to scream privacy?.
Her credibility will not only go right down the toilet, but she's really screwed it up for the many rape victims out there who would just as soon "put ice on it" than to pursue prosecution.
Sadly, there will be no winners in this case.
It is better to fight evil than surrender to it.
Are you surprised there is such a vocal minority on FreeRepublic supporting the accused rapist and admitted adulterer William Jefferson Clinton Kobe Bryant ?
Now we know why Clinton could not be removed from office. He was a star who scored for his team and his fans wanna be jus like im.
Why would Bryant's team have to be behind it? As near as I can tell, the media's digging up all this stuff on its own, and the giggly little friends of the accused were hanging around video-cams chomping at the bit to get interviewed.
If they find some dirt on Bryant, don't think it won't get blared equally loudly.
To be fair, there's no evidence that anything has yet been leaked from the defense. Both sides are now under a gag order, though that won't stop "friends" and others from speaking. Most of the "media rape" (wonderful term, btw; hope you don't mind if I use it) has been just that -- very poor, unprofessional conduct on the part of the media. Seriously, I don't expect the Globe or other tabloids to exercise any more restraint than MSNBC or CNN.
A disturbing result of the "media rape" are threats to both the victim and the prosectors. According to the Denver Post, the FBI is now investigating threats made against the prosecutors:
I agree. Aside from information to capture a criminial, legal information should be out of the press until there is a verdict. The whole idea of trials being televised and having any publicity at all is just not the way to get fair verdicts and protect victims.
Let's take the hypothetical that someone who is guilty would be convicted if other victims came forward. Who would ever do that with all of the publicity surrounding these cases?
Let's call it "innocent until proven guilty".
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.