Learning Nothing From Duke Debacle, NYT Smears Another College Athlete With Assault Allegation

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:03:00 +0000

Did the Times learn nothing about rushing to judgement from its Duke lacrosse "rape" hoax debacle? Even as the case fell apart, the Times issued a now-notorious, error-riddled 5,000-word story concluding there was enough evidence for the soon-to-be-disgraced local prosecutor to bring the case to trial. Now, the Times has another college sports expose from another bastion of privilege, Yale University. Richard Perez-Pena's bombshell, based on anonymous sources, involves an informal campus accusation of sexual assault against Yale quarterback Patrick Witt, who turned down the chance to becoming a Rhodes scholar to play against arch-rival Harvard.

Clay Waters

Did the New York Times learn nothing about rushing to judgement and presumption of innocence from its Duke lacrosse 'rape' hoax debacle?

More than any other media outlet, in 2006 the Times trumpeted black stripper's Crystal Mangum's rape accusations against three white Duke lacrosse players, accusations that quickly fell apart in a mass of contradictions and shifting stories.

PatrickWitt

Learning Nothing From Duke Debacle, NYT Smears Another College Athlete With Assault Allegation