Gang Rape Story Lacked Balance (says NYT public editor)

New York Times ^ | March 11, 2011 | ARTHUR S. BRISBANE

[reaganaut1]

The story quickly climbed The Times’s “most emailed” list but not just because of the sensational facts of the crime involved. “Vicious Assault Shakes Texas Town,” published on Tuesday, reported the gang rape by 18 boys and men of an 11-year-old girl in the East Texas town of Cleveland.

The viral distribution of the story was, at least in part, because of the intense outrage it inspired among readers who thought the piece pilloried the victim.

My assessment is that the outrage is understandable. The story dealt with a hideous crime but addressed concerns about the ruined lives of the perpetrators without acknowledging the obvious: concern for the victim.

While the story appeared to focus on the community’s reaction to the crime, it was not enough to simply report that the community is principally concerned about the boys and men involved – as this story seems to do. If indeed that is the only sentiment to be found in this community – and I find that very hard to believe – it becomes important to report on that as well by seeking out voices of professional authorities or dissenting community members who will at least address, and not ignore, the plight of the young girl involved.

Let’s consider the particulars:

The story by James C. McKinley Jr. reported that residents of the town noted the girl dressed “older than her age,” wore makeup and fashions “more appropriate to a woman in her 20s” and hung out with older boys at the playground.

The story also quoted one resident, saying, “Where was her mother? What was her mother thinking?”

Referring to some of the defendants in the case, the same resident was quoted saying, “These boys have to live with this the rest of their lives.”

[HiTech RedNeck]

School’s purpose has been so dumbed down with the exclusion of religious principles from it except as intriguing oddities. Afraid to annoy anybody with the idea that God might be poking His nose into people’s affairs.

God being who He is, does not leave the situation as used only for evil. It furnishes a living illustration of the contrast between the holy and the worldly. For those who came to faith later in life, they are moved to wonderment about what they missed in sterile schools.

[FreedomPoster]

OK, that last is an amusing mental image! A serious situation though, no doubt.

[Salamander]

The “family” owns it, now.

Seriesly.

We have a “that street” in the town nearest me.

The first two blocks are home to drug dealers, drive by shootings, rapes, murders, slums and scum.

The “old” last two blocks are filled with humble but dutifully, pridefully maintained homes full of elderly blacks.

I worry about them.

No matter how bravely they maintain their calm, dignified area, eventually, the “first two blocks” will overrun them.

Sometimes I think I can actually see it creeping towards them like a slowly advancing, toxic fungus.

[FreedomPoster]

As I commented in #13, regarding Quanell X:

Put him in stocks and flog him while they’re hanging these 18 (and more, I don’t think that is the final number) in the town square.

As someone in one of these threads has commented, Quanell IX has a lot to atone for . . .

[Sarah-bot]

Dumb ass, that was exactly my point. Have you been listening to too much Savage, or do you make a point of angering people.

[wintertime]

For those who came to faith later in life, they are moved to wonderment about what they missed in sterile schools.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Sterile!...Yes,...An appropriate word to use.

Obiviously, the boys and men that did this to this girl had dry and brittle hearts that were past feeling.

[wolficatZ]

Nobody is mentioning the perps also engaged in the production and distribution of child pornography.

[maine-iac7]

added, “I do think in retrospect we could have done more to provide more context to make that clear.”

ya think?

So, finally, it's revealed the little girl - I REPEAT: 'THE LITTLE GIRL' - isn't black - but the perpetrators are.

This story would've been totally written the other way - and indeed, furor across the land - has the victim been black and the animals white.

This administrations attitude and protection of "my people" is going to be the cause of black crimes egged by 'our backs are covered by the gang in the WH"

the dispersions cast on the LITTLE GIRL were from a community protecting 'it's black boys' and should never have been printed.

An 11 year girl is not a 'willing participant.' She's a little girl in the hands of multiple, big, adult males and, in one story, was threatened about objecting. What on earth is she going to do?

Where's the outrage for her?

Hey, REV. Jesse and Sharpton. Where's your outrage? "As ye have done it unto one of these, my children..." That includes excusing such animals...

and BTW, press, why isn't the lineup of these animals in this article? Those cretin, souless faces tell their own story.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Of course it was unbalanced - it lacked the mandatory white villain.

[9YearLurker]

Seems like they cast the victimized little girl in that role.

[sergeantdave]

“Does it seem to you, I know it does to me, that newspapers aren’t writing news articles in the straightforward, objective and informative manner which they used to do a couple decades ago?”

We’re seeing the absolute worst writing in the history of print media. Good story tellers and competent writers have been replaced by no-talent affirmative action hacks and ideologues. Mark Twain couldn’t get a job at most so-called newspapers today.

[Walkingfeather]

“The story by James C. McKinley Jr. reported that residents of the town noted the girl dressed “older than her age,” wore makeup and fashions “more appropriate to a woman in her 20s” and hung out with older boys at the playground.”

So the person quoted in this says, she dressed like a 20 year old. The presupposition being, then its her fault because she look older. While entirely MISSING THE FACT, that she hung out on a PLAY GROUND..... not many 20 year olds hang out on a playground Einstein.

[bigredkitty1]

I thought only news outlets in DFW left out race when giving decsriptions of perps. Case in point: a mugger was ‘working’ a section of Dallas with a large number of restaurants and clubs. News outlets gave description of height, weight, clothes and a distinguishing feature(a gold front tooth) of the mugger. Left out of the description was the race of the mugger. Mugger was eventually caaught and turned out to be black. Many who lived in the surrounding neighborhoods or frequented the establishments in the area complained that if they had been given the perp’s race, they may have been able to identfy him sooner.

One of the local conservative talk show hosts addressed the complaints of so-called black leaders over the sheer number of black men locked up in Texas’ jails or prison system. He said flatly more blacks are in jail and prison because they commit more of the crimes. Specifically,blacks commit more of the violent crimes and are rightly incarcerated for them.

In the end, stories like this should serve as a clarion call to the black community that something is seriously broken in their families and culture. When you turn out more perps than PhD’s or more thugs than taxpayers, that should serve as a red flag warning that something is seriously broken and needs to be fixed. Just my $0.02 worth.

[9YearLurker]

Here’s an article by the same reporter with the same style of innuendo, though in this case he goes out of his way to avoid even confirming the pro-Muslim bias that caused the Texas board to act. Instead, he sticks only to using one example which the board members ‘assert’ about the textbooks:

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20100923/ZNYT02/9233016

[John 3_19-21]

The schools have them for 6 hours a day, 9 months a year for up to 13 years. Yeah blame them rather than the parents that actually gave birth to the little felons.

It took several generations for the effects we see now to happen. When decency and morals were shunned by society including educators in the 60’s, 70's & 80's and replaced with self esteem and self empowerment, we bred and trained a nation of selfish children, parents and now even grandparents.
Self gratification is foremost for many today and the self esteem training they received 6 to 9 hours a day for 12 years does not allow them to take ownership of anything that requires sacrifice or patience.

[Pollster1]

the girl dressed “older than her age,” wore makeup and fashions “more appropriate to a woman in her 20s” and hung out with older boys at the playground

I'm reminded of JonBonet Ramsey and the insanity of that sort of parent. Despite dressing older and wearing makeup, no one could mistake a girl that age for an adult. And hanging out with older boys? These rapists were adults, not "older boys" who had any business on a playground.

“Where was her mother? What was her mother thinking?”

I have serious doubts about the mother's parenting abilities, but that's totally irrelevant to the fact that these 18 known adults who have been arrested (and ten more who are still being sought) are on video raping a little girl.

“These boys have to live with this the rest of their lives.”

Maybe I'm not as compassionate as the community organizers who are crying over these ruined lives, but I can't work up a tear over adults who would rape a little girl in this manner and videotape their horrendous crime. Their lives were ruined long before they were arrested for raping a child - otherwise they would not have participated in this unspeakable act (or, maybe, one of them might even have protected the little girl). I don't feel bad about their arrest, their hypothetical and probably fictional feelings of guilt over being monsters, or the effect this will have on their future if they are ever released from the prisons in which they should spend the rest of their lives.

When it comes to the little girl, I have more compassion than these thugs can imagine. How can someone look at this and work up any sympathy for the rapists? I'm as disgusted by their supporters as I am by the criminals themselves.

[Arrowhead1952]

Referring to some of the defendants in the case, the same resident was quoted saying, “These boys have to live with this the rest of their lives.”

Uh no. We can and should fix that part, like shorten the "rest of their lives" to days, not decades.

BUT, with zero in the white hut and AG holder, these "our people" will be free to roam around like the savages they are for a long time.

FU BO and FU EH.

[Mr Ramsbotham]

Also the desire of most of the Times male staff to want to be gang rapped by black men ....

I'd eventually get over being gang raped by black men, but if I were ever gang rapped I think I'd just end it all.

[Arrowhead1952]

I read about this story yesterday when it was reported in a local Texas newspaper.

I can't believe we hadn't seen anything about this before since it happened right after Thanksgiving of last year.

[BuffaloJack]

> 18 bullets. And send the bill to the local community organizer.

Why not Pancho Villa style? Line them up and one bullet takes care of several. I’ll bet you don’t need more than 6 or 7 bullets to get the job done.