The Chronicle

Issue date: 5/29/08 Section: Columns
Last update: 5/29/08 at 6:44 PM EST

The Duke Lacrosse rape case/hoax was needless to say a blemish in our state's history as so many systems failed. From the legal structures to the news outlets to even the social systems-all mechanisms which we trust to operate succinctly in our best interests-overtly failed. Some years later, as many of us are trying to move away from this obvious debacle, unfortunately, but as expected, there exist individuals who still insist on stirring the proverbial hornet's nest. Enter Kristin Butler, a columnist for The Chronicle. This event (the Duke Lacrosse rape case/hoax) by itself was polarizing. It brewed the "perfect storm" of race, class and gender issues. In an April 2006 article, Michael Levenson of The Boston Globe paints the picture vividly: "Only three miles of knotty magnolias, wooden bungalows and faded tobacco factories separate the sprawling campus of Duke University, a wealthy, predominantly white institution, from North Carolina Central University, a historically black college that is its smaller neighbor in Durham. However, students rarely travel between the two." In hindsight, I admit I even threw a few "dogs into that fight." In addition to numerous letters to the editor of the (Durham) Herald-Sun and a photo essay, additionally I am conducting and have submitted academic research within the context of this particular case. That said, if we look at this grim episode through Butler's lens, it plays metaphorically like a Final Four game with clear winners and losers. At the risk of being blunt, Butler's lens is extremely distorted. Quite frankly, everyone lost. Taking a research approach, if we employ a critical analysis of the media coverage, there are multilevel frames within the context of this case which illustrate tabloid journalism at its best. What is tabloid journalism? Simply put, it represents highly sensationalistic 24/7 coverage of pop issues within a slow news economy. Classic examples include "Bennifer," the Britney Spears meltdown/custody battle, and of course, debutantes gone wild, featuring Paris Hilton. Again, this is not really news which governs and shapes our lives but more representative of the items you pick up in the grocery store checkout line, along with bubble gum and chewing tobacco. The irony here is that this type of news is strategically located with the items we chew up and spit out. In essence, some two years later, this episode fits perfectly within this category. Not to minimize its journalistic value in how not to do things, but too many people were chewed up and spit out. Those riding the horse of journalism seek the truth while those riding the horse of justice seek to turn wrongs into right. In both cases the horses tied for dead last because all systems failed. Talking with Rob Elmore, news director of WTVD, last year about this case he admitted to me that many journalists "got this wrong." By not being critical and asking the right questions, the city of Durham and the campuses of Duke and NCCU took a direct hit. But strangely, that's not the biggest blemish. More haunting is the capricious manner in which human lives were, and I argue still are, being handled. Many of the key players within this "new opera" now will wear a scarlet letter of sorts which time may be able to heal. Regardless which camp one supports, the fact remains that everyone must move on with their lives and the process is going to be painful, to say the least. As many are trying to migrate away from this spectra, in comes Butler, throwing gas on a smoldering fire. It is astonishing (if not insidious) for Butler and The Chronicle not to help heal the wounds. I am tremendously distraught by this lack of judgment. Butler's piece failed to offer or at least demonstrate any attempt made to obtain an opinion from NCCU faculty, staff or students. Question: was this coincidental or by design? In my honest opinion (and yes, it's purely subjective) Buter's writing is endemic of an opportunistic word-processed lynching. I would expect more from anyone who is able to win awards in journalism. As a student of culture and a professor of media, if you have the ability to control discourse, you are obligated to do it responsibly. As we were all told, sometimes it's best not to say anything if you cannot say anything nice at all. Respectfully, in the spirit of harmony and in the essence of de-escalation, as an alum of NCCU, I ask Butler and others for a ceasefire. W. Russell Robinson is a professor of mass communications at Shaw University and an alumnus of NCCU.

Editor's Note: Mr. Robinson identified himself as a professor of mass communications; however, his official title is an instructor of mass communications at Shaw.

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