http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1169785864...=googlenews_wsj
Duke President Urged Caution on Scandal
January 26, 2007; Page B6
In "The Michael Nifong Scandal" (editorial page, January 11), Dorothy Rabinowitz raises compelling criticisms of how the Durham, N.C. district attorney has handled the prosecution of the three Duke University students. The commentary also criticized Duke President Richard Broadhead for not speaking to the fundamental principle of a presumption of innocence until some seven months after the incident. President Brodhead, in his first public statement in the days following the alleged incident, urged that the students must be presumed innocent until proven otherwise -- an assertion he has made clearly and repeatedly in numerous subsequent communications to faculty, students, alumni and others.
As he told "60 Minutes: in August, ". . . my view is that the DA's case will be on trial as much as our players will be on trial." His statements have been reported widely. His comment with "60 Minutes" is still on its website, just as many of his other statements remain available on Duke's Web site.
John F. Burness
Senior Vice President
Public Affairs and Government Relations
Duke University
Durham, S.C.
Circling the wagons.