When Journalists Attack

Last month, I wrote a little something on the case of the Jena 6 over at Anti-Strib. I implied then that there was a lot of mis-reporting of the facts of the case. Today's Christian Science Monitor runs a lengthy piece written by the assistant editor of the Jena Louisiana Times. He lays out, in brutal detail, how badly the national media betrayed the trust of their readers and viewers. (HT Powerline).

By now, almost everyone in America has heard of Jena, La., because they've all heard the story of the "Jena 6." White students hanging nooses barely punished, a schoolyard fight, excessive punishment for the six black attackers, racist local officials, public outrage and protests – the outside media made sure everyone knew the basics.
There's just one problem: The media got most of the basics wrong. In fact, I have never before witnessed such a disgrace in professional journalism. Myths replaced facts, and journalists abdicated their solemn duty to investigate every claim because they were seduced by a powerfully appealing but false narrative of racial injustice.
I should know. I live in Jena. My wife has taught at Jena High School for many years. And most important, I am probably the only reporter who has covered these events
from the very beginning.

He then lays out the 12 Myths of the Jena case and what the truth really was. Here are some snippets.

Myth 1: The Whites-Only Tree. There has never been a "whites-only" tree at Jena High School. Students of all races sat underneath this tree...

Myth 2: Nooses a Signal to Black Students. An investigation by school officials, police, and an FBI agent revealed the true motivation behind the placing of two nooses in the tree the day after the assembly. According to the expulsion committee, the crudely constructed nooses were not aimed at black students. Instead, they were understood to be a prank by three white students aimed at their fellow white friends, members of the school rodeo team. (The students apparently got the idea from watching episodes of "Lonesome Dove.") The committee further concluded that the three young teens had no knowledge that nooses symbolize the terrible legacy of the lynchings of countless blacks in American history. When informed of this history by school officials, they became visibly remorseful because they had many black friends. Another myth concerns their punishment, which was not a three-day suspension, but rather nine days at an alternative facility followed by two weeks of in-school suspension, Saturday detentions, attendance at Discipline Court, and evaluation by licensed mental-health professionals.

Emphasis mine. I quoted all of Myth 2 because this is one of the main myths that the race baiters used to stir up tensions in Jena. There was no racism, just a case of a) totaly ignorance of history or b) a failure of the education system for not teaching these kids about the real racist past of this country.

Myth 3: Nooses Were a Hate Crime. Although many believe the three white students should have been prosecuted for a hate crime for hanging the nooses, the incident did not meet the legal criteria for a federal hate crime...

Myth 4: DA's Threat to Black Students. When District Attorney Reed Walters spoke to Jena High students at an assembly in September, he did not tell black students that he could make their life miserable with "the stroke of a pen." Instead, according to Walters, "two or three girls, white girls, were chit-chatting on their cellphones or playing with their cellphones right in the middle of my dissertation...

Myth 5: The Fair Barn Party Incident. On Dec. 1, 2006, a private party – not an all-white party as reported – was held at the local community center called the Fair Barn...

You have to go to the article to get all of the Fair Barn Party truth - it is rather lengthy and very detailed.

Myth 6: The "Gotta-Go" Grocery Incident. On Dec. 2, 2006, Bailey and two other black Jena High students were involved in an altercation at this local convenience store, stemming from the incident that occurred the night before...

Again you need to go to the article for the full details as this was a major part of the race case.

Myth 8: The Attack Is Linked to the Nooses. Nowhere in any of the evidence, including statements by witnesses and defendants, is there any reference to the noose incident that occurred three months prior...

Myth 9: Mychal Bell's All-White Jury...

Myth 10: Jena 6 as Model Youth...

I wrote about this last month.

Myth 11: Jena Is One of the Most Racist Towns in America...

Myth 12: Two Levels of Justice. Outside protesters were convinced that the prosecution of the Jena 6 was proof of a racially biased system of justice. But the US Justice Department's investigation found no evidence to support such a claim. In fact, the percentage of blacks and whites prosecuted matches the parish's population statistics.

The author's close says it all.

As with the Duke Lacrosse case, the truth about Jena will eventually be known. But the town of Jena isn't expecting any apologies from the media. They will probably never admit their error and have already moved on to the next "big" story. Meanwhile in Jena, residents are getting back to their regular routines, where friends are friends regardless of race. Just as it has been all along.

It is a condemnation of a media culture that is more befitting of the National Enquirer than it is the legacy of Edward R. Murrow. This culture is why the newspaper industry is dying on the vine and network news is fatally ill. It will not be revived until the day comes when the culture of "report it first" is replaced with a culture of "report it right!"

Cross posted at Anti-Strib