Platt: How do we report about our own? (Child molesting sports writer)

Philadelphia Daily News ^ | Dec. 21, 2011 | Larry Platt Editor Philadelphia Daily News

[End Times Sentinel]

(Background provided by Owl_Eagle) Legendary Philadelphia Daily News Sportswriter Bill Conlin retired abruptly yesterday amongst allegations of sex abuse reported by sister paper The Philadelphia Inquirer. Larry Platt is/was Conlin's editor.

(Snip)

I have known Bill Conlin since 1990, and before that, I knew him as a legendary voice on the page. I simply do not know how to reconcile what I've read with the man I know. I spoke to him Tuesday. He offered to retire and I immediately accepted. I knew I'd never be comfortable running his byline again.

For a long time Tuesday, we struggled with how to best acknowledge this story without knowing the facts or reporting on it ourselves. It is a strange and sad time in the newsroom, and we will do our best to cover this as if it were any other high-profile figure in Philadelphia. But of course it is not just another high-profile figure in Philadelphia.

(End excerpt)

Conlin has been synonymous with this paper for five decades, and to pretend that we know how to approach a story like this is to insult your intelligence. All I can promise you is that we will attempt to be as thorough and fair as we can possibly be - not just to the facts of the story - but also to you, our readers. And that means being as open and transparent as we can be.

[End Times Sentinel]

Well, here's an idea, Larry: Why don't you report it just like you would with any other noteworthy person?

I'm so tired of journalists who have no qualms about publishing a story that damages their country or community, happy to play fast and loose with the facts, yet if the subject is "one of their own" they're racked with some kind of moral dilemma, as if they deserve some sort of special acknowledgement or consideration.

[Mr. K]

These bozo editors seem to have no moral dilemma ruining OTHER PEOPLE’s lives, though

[End Times Sentinel]

Remember a dozen or so years ago when Russell Byers was murdered? The great wailing and gnashing of teeth showed, to me, just how out of touch many reporters (and editors) are. Byers was a man of some acclaim, but no more than, say, a television reporter. Yet the media (mainly print) devoted as much attention to this as if The Pope Himself was killed.

[martin_fierro]

Conlin has been synonymous with this paper for five decades, and to pretend that we know how to approach a story like this is to insult your intelligence.

Pretending that they don't know how to approach a story like this insults my intelligence.

[AnAmericanMother]

Why don't you tell him so?

We know it's true, he might need to hear it.

Politely, of course. Then it might sink in.

[Tallguy]

Yeah, they didn’t seem to have a problem with the nature of the evidence against Herman Cain, did they? They kept pounding.

[Tribune7]

Thanks Owl.

It is boggling my mind the influential people that are involved in this stuff.

I've never thought of myself as naive but now you just don't know.

[End Times Sentinel]

Folks, in case anyone noticed or was confused, I put the “end excerpt” statement ABOVE the last paragraph accidentally. Just don’t want to appear to take credit for something I didn’t write... especially when it’s expressing something that stupid.

[End Times Sentinel]

It is boggling my mind the influential people that are involved in this stuff.

I truly pray that this isn't the start of a major trend. To think there may be so many more victims is heartbreaking.

However, that would go some ways towards explaining the degraded, coarse state we find society in today. So many damaged people.

[mewzilla]

I’ve got one question: What did the paper’s employees know and when did they know it?

[EyeGuy]

“As detailed by the Inquirer’s Nancy Phillips, four people have accused Conlin...”

#####

Male people or female “people”?

Seems to me an essential detail for any news story.

[PieterCasparzen]

If he threw a bucket of manure on their desks, would they know how to confront him about it ? Or would they just thank him ?

[MrEdd]

Pretending that they don't know how to approach a story like this insults my intelligence.

And if you are reading his paper, he has every reason to believe that fact will fly right over your head.

[End Times Sentinel]

Male people or female “people”?

Oddly, three females and one male. It's pretty unusual for a predator to just find themselves attracted to ANY young person. They seem to gravitate towards one sex exclusively (shockingly often, it's gay men preying on boys).

[USS Alaska]

All I can promise you is that we will attempt to be as thorough and fair as we can possibly be - not just to the facts of the story - but also to you, our readers. And that means being as open and transparent as we can be.

Why did it take decades to out this pervert?

Did his position with the media aid in the cover up?

When the sandusky story broke, every one that ever drove through State College was axed to take a lie detector test or resign or commit suicide.

When will this editor resign?

[halfright]

3 females and 1 male. Interesting to be in the Philadelphia area and seeing how local media is reporting this. One of the females is his niece and a prosecutor in Atlantic County NJ.

Alleged incidents occurred some 40 years ago. Philly.com is the free version of the Inquirer/Daily News non subscription pages but you get the stories of both.

[sodpoodle]

***I truly pray that this isn’t the start of a major trend**

These reported pedophiles are old geezers - as were those outed in the Catholic priesthood.

So...no..it isn’t the ‘start’ of a major trend - it might be the beginning of uncovering these perverts in positions of power - over children. Hollywood producers, sports and athletic recruiters, etc., The types who dazzle parents while secretly abusing their children.

[GOPJ]

The MSM should report this story with the same gusto and verve they would use if it was about a Christian minister...

I'm sickened by the double standard ... journalists need to take a long hard look at themselves if they want their profession to survive.

[Daffynition]

I've recently been in a private battle [well, it's no longer private, is it? :)] battle with this guy..Scot Haney.

He's a weather guesser on the local CBS channel. His openly gay agenda frosts me and came to a head a few weeks ago, when he hosted a televised Christmas fundraiser for needy children.

All this is well and good [fund raising] on the surface, but this maroon comes out in one of the segments dressed in drag and behaves like a complete idiot in front of a live audience of strangers and children and thinks it is perfectly okay, to dress like woman, jump around stage like some sort of a baboon. I snapped and wrote to him, the station prez and his producer personally. Haney wrote back and told me *I* was the one who needed help. I countered with the fact that his gay lifestyle he has chosen, that he continuously shoves down the viewers throat is wrong on so many levels, too numerous to count. [Like he doesn't know this]

Yet the station *allows* this, others condone it by silence, and that's why the Sandusky's of the world have such a foot hold. I'm still a lone voice, sending off letters to the advertisers but will continue to do what I can.

[italianquaker]

Just make believe he is the following, Republican, conservative black or a Catholic priest and you should do fine