From the Idaho Statesman Editor in regards to the story:
http://www.idahostatesman.com/story.asp?ID=30795
From the Editor
We started working on this story three weeks ago, intending to do a profile of the new president of the local NAACP. He had just played an important public role, advising Sen. Craig and Sen. Crapo as they debated the Trent Lott controversy.
Dan Popkey did a long interview with Wade Dawson at his home. Dan thought it was cool that Dawson said he played for the Oakland Raiders and the University of Michigan. Dan spent a year on fellowship at Michigan and wanted to share stories.
But Dawson was vague. He said the Raiders had erased him from team history. He wouldn´t answer some of Dan´s questions. It was odd enough that Dan told me about it, but we proceeded with the profile.
Dan took the same steps he would on any profile, calling people who knew Dawson. It seemed obvious to call the Raiders and Michigan.
We were confused when they said he had never been there. We asked them to check again. We just couldn´t believe it.
We decided then to look deeper. It is not unusual to check court records for stories like this; that´s where we went next. The surprises grew.
Over these weeks, we took measures to make sure we could not be mistaken. We waited until we had court records in hand from Iowa, Illinois and Idaho. We cross checked Social Security numbers and dates of birth. We made lists of facts we knew and the records from which we knew them, to check again.
We finished on Thursday, and we were sure. We had to decide when to publish our story, when we would call NAACP board members, the senators and the governor. We intended to wait until next week, to avoid hurting people on the Martin Luther King holiday.
Dan talked with Dawson twice Thursday. Dawson said he might come by The Statesman to talk.
He answered a few questions. He said “´most everybody who knows me here in Idaho” knew about his full record. But we knew he´d been telling people he was playing football in the years we knew he was in prison.
Dan begged him to clear the record if there was something we didn´t understand. Dan waited until 11:30 p.m., but Dawson didn´t come.
Imagine our shock when we saw Dawson on television, in front of the Black History Museum, “coming forward” with his prison time in Idaho and asking people to focus on the Wade Dawson of today.
But the Wade Dawson of today continues to try to influence public officials at the same time he continues to mislead about his past, “coming forward” with as little truth as he can.
Wade Dawson has hurt the NAACP, detracting from its good works. We hurt for them and for our community.
-- Carolyn Washburn, Executive Editor
Edition Date: 01-18-2003
Over these weeks, we took measures to make sure we could not be mistaken. We waited until we had court records in hand from Iowa, Illinois and Idaho. We cross checked Social Security numbers and dates of birth. We made lists of facts we knew and the records from which we knew them, to check again.We finished on Thursday, and we were sure. We had to decide when to publish our story, when we would call NAACP board members, the senators and the governor.We intended to wait until next week, to avoid hurting people on the Martin Luther King holiday.
It's interesting that the paper admits to wanting to hold off on publishing the story, as as not to hurt people over the MLK holiday (what???).
The NAACP apparently doesn't do a background check on people who are voted into these positions of authority. I'm not sure if it is a paid position, or not. It certainly is a position in which the person holding it, has a lot of influence and can probably benefit financially by making important contacts.