Media Criticism

By now everyone has read that Mike Nifong was disbarred for his disgraceful behavior in the Duke Lacrosse rape case. I can’t pretend I feel any pity for him. He dug this hole himself and he deserves the excoriating that he’s receiving in the media. What I am not seeing from the media is demanding equal accountability from Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.

Both of these self –appointed spokesmen for the black community were right in the thick of things in Durham from the first day this case hit the headlines. Jesse, bless his attention grabbing little heart, was there with a scholarship for this poor victimized woman who was suffering so horribly from this gang rape. He also made several statements regarding the believability of her story despite there being absolutely no evidence from the very beginning. It was clear he accepted their guilt without question.

Al Sharpton was much worse. He was there sooner and he was shooting off his mouth a lot more. He had those three young (privileged white) men tried, sentenced, and all but executed before the first test came back. Now that their innocence is proven beyond a doubt, he still has not stepped forward and admitted his error and offered his sincerest apology to them and to their families.

The media have elevate these two to the level of experts and spokespeople and consult them every time there is an incident involving a person of color. They swarm to their “press conferencesâ€? and carry their words as if they were gospel. Now it’s time that they hold these two accountable. Where are the stories demanding that they explain themselves in the light of the outcome of the case. Where are the demands for an apology for the inflammatory things they said about the real victims of this entire fiasco–the three Duke Lacrosse players and their families.

Thanks to Mr. Nifong, Jackson, and Sharpton no matter what these three young men manage to accomplish in their lives, the specter of this case will follow them forever. The least that the media can do is to demand that the worst of their accusers face the cameras and apologize. Mr. Nifong has already done so. It’s time Jackson and Sharpton step up and do the same.

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