Gordaen's Blog

I was reading the articles online about the charge of rape against the three Duke lacrosse players being dropped, and I noticed a few peculiar things. First, Fox News had a bit of a “they’re guilty!” feel to it. Second, I noticed the Fox News version of the AP article and the CNN/SI version were different, but just slightly.

Fox News Perspective – link
The Fox article is called, “Charges dropped, but questions remain,” which by itself isn’t really terrible (though the SI version of the AP article is titled “Duke rape charges dropped” and subtitled “Lacrosse players face kidnap, sexual offense charges”—notice that straight forward, non-suspicious tone). Then you read paragraphs like this on Fox’s article:

But the fact that the accuser is no longer certain she was penetrated in the alleged assault at a Duke team party last March doesn’t mean it’s time to paint her as a fraud, and to cast the accused as three student-athletes who were horribly wronged.

The charges of kidnapping and sexual offense still stand against the Duke players. Last time I checked, kidnapping and sexual offense were heinous crimes.

Okay, she’s only changed her story dozens of times and they have no physical proof (all the DNA results showed none of the defendants’ DNA), but we assume she isn’t a liar. That’s fair enough. Yet, the second paragraph makes it sound like we should assume the crimes were committed. Screw presumption of innocence! They’re guilty because the prosecutor said so based entirely on shifting claims by the “victim.” Come on, Fox News, report the news, don’t change it.

This case still has to play itself out. All we know for sure right now is this: The Duke coach lost his career, the Duke players lost their season, and everyone involved in the case lost their innocence.

That’s all we know, according to Fox. The coach resigned (which to them means he lost his career), and there is no mention that we know that the “victim” has changed her story many times!

Differences in Stories
I read the AP story on Fox also… and realized it was a lot like the one I read on SI… but not quite the same. For example, this paragraph was in the SI version and not the Fox version:

In recent months, Nifong has been vilified by some lawyers and members of the community for pressing ahead with what appeared to many to be a remarkably weak case.

Fox News:

SI:

Of course, that just makes the prosecutor sound weak, which would mean Fox’s perspective of the players being guilty wouldn’t make too much sense, so that was not included in their version. The next portion omitted from Fox’s version has the sentences, as explained by the defending attorney, and another paragraph saying how weak the case is.

A defendant’s prior criminal record affects the length of a prison sentence in North Carolina. In the case of the three indicted players, Cheshire said rape and sexual offense carry the same possible sentence of up to 24 years in prison, while kidnapping is punishable by up to seven years.

“There’s not a spider web of evidence supporting the allegations of Mr. Nifong,” said Wade Smith, one of the players’ attorneys. “We’ve waited and there hasn’t been anything. … We have this bare assertion and nothing else.”

Rather than just omitting this part, Fox included a different paragraph with far longer sentences (because these guilty guys need to go behind bars!):

Rape and sexual offense carry the same possible sentence of up to 40 years in prison, while kidnapping is punishable by up to 17 1/2 years.

Fox News:

SI:

I’m not saying the Duke players are guilty or not guilty. I’m just pointing out the differences between stories… even ones that claim to come from the same source… Anyone know if you are allowed to rewrite portions of AP stories with no notice?

In case you are curious, the Associated Press version of the article is the same as the SI version.