Friday, April 27, 2007

Duke Lacrosse: Naming The Accuser

Today, the North Carolina Attorney General’s office released their final report in the Duke Lacrosse case.

The Summary of Conclusions is twenty one pages long and outlines the discrepancies in the accuser’s account of what happened on March 14, 2006.

As viewers, you may have noticed that we have begun to identify the accuser. The naming of Crystal Mangum comes after careful review of our station policy and the AG’s press conference, several weeks ago.

It was at the press conference when Attorney General, Roy Cooper, stated that the three Duke Lacrosse players were “innocent.” Furthermore, the AG stated that, based on the evidence, no crime had been committed.

As a station, we took the time to review our policy and discuss the matter. In the end, we decided to name the accuser. Here is a statement from NBC17 News Director, Nannette Wilson “The determination that there was no sexual assault, I believe, does not protect her identity according to our policy.”

You may not know this but I have been covering this story from the very beginning. I spent many days on the steps of the Durham County Courthouse, reading court documents and chasing down leads. Despite all the media coverage at both a local and national level, I wonder how long will it be before the world forgets about the case. Or will this case be one that lives on in history textbooks that our children will one day read about?

I welcome your thoughts and comments, as usual.
Here’s todays webcast.

Jason
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