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KC weighs in on Roethlisberger; compared to lax
Topic Started: Mar 9 2010, 12:33 PM (312 Views)
Quasimodo

http://www.durhamwonderland.blogspot.com/

TUESDAY, MARCH 09, 2010

The Roethlisberger Case

One item from the case is especially notable. As far as I can tell, and despite the heavy media interest, the district attorney, Fred Bright, has made only one public comment. Here it is: "The investigation is ongoing. It would be premature to make any announcement at this time. When the facts are in and a decision is made, we will let you know."

Contrast the tone and contents of that remark to Mike Nifong's pre-primary publicity crusade in 2006. Three days after taking over supervision of the police investigation, and minutes after receiving his first detailed briefing on the facts of the case from the police officers now working under his direction, Nifong was off and running.

He gave interview after interview to local, state, and national media--expressing his certainty that a crime had occurred (as he privately admitted, "We're f*cked"), and making racially inflammatory remarks as he began his surge from third place to first among black primary voters. He discussed how he had read the report of SANE-nurse-in-training Tara Levicy--the report that mentioned false accuser Crystal Mangum had claimed her "attackers" hadn't used condoms. He even gave a demonstration--on live TV, no less--of how the false accuser had been "choked" in the commission of the "crime."

During that time, few prominent commentators or members of the media expressed any skepticism about the propriety of Nifong's remarks--TalkLeft's Jeralyn Merritt stands as a significant exception. That said, it's hard to think of a DA in a comparable case (much less a DA six weeks from a primary election that seemed certain to result not only in his defeat but in the new DA firing him) behaving anything like Nifong did.

Bright's comment provides a reminder of how "Minister of Justice" Nifong should have conducted himself in spring 2006
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Looks like the lesson of Nifong has sunk in at least in some quarters.

Just think how similar lessons smartly applied to a few of the Durham PD might influence cops somewhere else as they contemplate framing innocents.

And imagine how a public pillorying of Brodhead might influence some other wayward college president who is about to succumb to the PC virus.
Edited by abb, Mar 9 2010, 12:46 PM.
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Quasimodo

Quote:
 
Looks like the lesson of Nifong has sunk in at least in some quarters.

Just think how similar lessons smartly applied to a few of the Durham PD might influence cops somewhere else as they contemplate framing innocents.

And imagine how a public pillorying of Brodhead might influence some other wayward college president who is about to succumb to the PC virus.


I think Donna Shalala's remarks were in part a reaction to what had been going on at Duke:

"It's time for the feeding frenzy to stop. These students made a stupid, terrible, horrible mistake and they are being punished. They are students and we are an educational institution and we will act like an educational institution, not like a P.R. organization that's trying to spin and to restore an image that we worked so hard to put in place."


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ETA: OT, but a bit more of Shalala's news conference, by way of contrast with Brodhead:

On whether or not she is surprised with the media coverage...

"No. Here at the University of Miami you have to meet a standard no one else has to meet because of our past history, so I fully expected this to spin out of control. But I also expected that at some point I had to stand up and say we don't go out and shoot our kids for instant restoration of our image. We will work our way out this. I have helped recruit many of these players, talked to their parents, looked their parents straight in the eyes and said at the University of Miami we care about character and we will be firm with the young person you send to us. We will also be fair and they will get a degree from the University that they can use afterwards. Eight members of this team have already graduated from the University and are enrolled in either a second degree program or in a graduate school. About 10 of them will graduate in December and another large group will graduate in May. We have an excellent standard academically. We are above the national norm in terms of graduation. Any parent can be proud to send their young person to the University, whether they are going to major in some subject or play on one of our teams, but the parents have to see us having that standard and being firm and holding people, the adults, responsible for working with their young people whether they be professors or they be coaches. That's what we are about at this University.

"What I will not do is I will not crucify these young people. I will hit them hard but I'm also going to reach out and pick them up."


Edited by Quasimodo, Mar 9 2010, 02:33 PM.
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