I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Blehar on this issue.
Link: http://notpsu.blogspot.com/2017/06/cnn-must-also-retract-1971-paterno-story.html
Monday, June 26
CNN Must Also Retract 1971 Paterno Story
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/p...-story-linking-trump-and-russia-20170624.html
Sara Ganim's incredulous report about a 1971 report to Paterno by a Sandusky fails to meet journalism standards
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/p...-story-linking-trump-and-russia-20170624.html
By
Ray Blehar
June 26, 2017: 10:15AM EDT
Recently,CNN retracted and removed all links to a political storybecause the story failed to meet its editorial standards. It needs to do the same for its May 6, 2016 story about an alleged Sandusky victim who allegedly made a 1971 report to then Penn State University (PSU) football coach, Joe Paterno.
CNN's 1971 story was authored by Sara Ganim, who received a 2012 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting about the Jerry Sandusky scandal. As such, Ganim knew or should have known that the victim's allegations did not comport with Sandusky's modus operandi as an acquaintance offender.
In addition, her history as a Penn State University (PSU) student and as a crime and courts reporter at theCentre Daily Timesalso adds to the lack of journalistic integrity because she knew or should have known the story's corroborating source, Bernie McCue, was known for erratic behavior, despised Joe Paterno, and was otherwise unreliable.
Unreliable source: Ganim used a well-known Paterno hater to corroborate the 1971 story.
To make matters worse, Ganim chose McCue's corroborating account over a Pennsylvania State Trooper who was also a friend of the alleged victim -- and did not find his friend’s story to be credible.
Although Ganim won a Pulitzer Prize for her Sandusky coverage, it was for local – not investigative – reporting. Evaluations conducted by notpsu.blogspot.com found numerous errors, half-truths, and omissions the ten stories that were submitted to the Pulitzer committee .
Her 1971 story was no different.
Wrong from the Start
An honest fact-check of the story would have found almost none of it to be true, starting with Ganim’s assertion that the alleged victim was the oldest known victim.
“But for many of the victims, it's not ambiguous. Like for Victim A, a 60-year-old State College native and Sandusky's oldest known victim.”
Just as many local news reports on the public record revealed that Ganim consistently erred in stating that The Second Mile separated Jerry from all programs involving children after his 2009 abuse finding, a KDKA Pittsburgh report from October 2012 revealed that a then 57 year old was abused by Sandusky over 40 years ago. That man would be at least 60 or 61 as Ganim penned her story.
Allegations Do Not Fit Sandusky’s Modus Operandi
More significantly, however, is that the KDKA report confirms Sandusky was operating as an acquaintance offender dating back to his time at the Brownson House in his hometown of Washington, Pennsylvania. The man was one of three men Sandusky victimized there.
Sandusky's acquaintance offending likely began in his teen years at the Brownson House
This story and the facts established at the Sandusky trial refuted a key point of Ganim’s story that Sandusky offended against a hitch-hiker (stranger).
All of Sandusky’s victims from the trial came as a result of Sandusky’s relationship with them through his charity. Ganim, who covered the trial, obviously had to recognize that Victim A’s allegations did not fit Sandusky’s pattern of victimizing children he had befriended.
Next, none of Sandusky’s victims from the trial alleged that he provided them with drugs or alcohol. In fact, Sandusky was well known as a church-going, teetotaler.
Last but not least, no known victim or claimant – other than Victim A – alleged that Sandusky physically assaulted them before forcibly raping them. Again, this conduct would be far outside the realm for an acquaintance/serial offender whose success relies upon gaining the trust of the victim – who will remain silent about the victimization.
Too Good To Fact Check
CNN’s story goes even further into the realm of the incredible after the alleged rape took place.
In a series of events only the extremely gullible could believe, Victim A’s injuries are noticed by his foster mother at breakfast the next morning. After some prodding, the alleged victim tells his foster mother what happened. Next, the foster mother and her husband – against Victim A’s wishes– inform the young man that they are going to report the incident to PSU officials, adding that nothing will happen because PSU won’t call the police.
Any reasonable person would find this story to be highly unlikely and question why the parents didn’t go directly to police to report the assault and rape of a foster child. Moreover, a reasonable person would question the fitness of these individuals as foster parents and ask questions about them.
But Ganim isn't a reasonable person. She needs the story to be singularly focused on Paterno.
Not only do the guardians of the young man then follow through on their call PSU, but they insist that the 15-year old boy tell his story to none other than Joe Paterno.
Like the questionable account of Mike McQueary, Victim A stated he did not tell Paterno he was raped, but that he made it very clear “it was a sexual attack.”
Paterno’s Response: Ganim and CNN Fail History
The credibility of the story completely failed when Victim A recalled Paterno’s handling of his report (emphasis added).
"I made it clear there were things done to me that I just can't believe could have been done to me and I couldn't escape. I said, 'I'm very upset and scared and I couldn't believe I let my guard down.' They listened to me. And then all hell broke loose.
"They were asking me my motive, why I would say this about someone who has done so many good things."
Jerry Sandusky did not establish The Second Mile until 1977. He had no track record of good deeds that would have prompted such a response from Paterno.
In 1971, Jerry Sandusky had been on the PSU coaching staff for just two years and had just begun coaching linebackers, having switched from defensive line coach. At that point in his tenure, he was not an indispensable part of the staff. Sandusky was, in fact, replacing somewhat of a coaching legend – Dan “Bad Rad” Radakovich, who left PSU for the Steelers.
There was nothing in 1971 that would have stopped Paterno from doing exactly what he did in 2001 – which was to take the report seriously and forward it to his superiors.
CNN Must Retract Story
Much like Sabrina Erdley's nowinfamousRolling Stonestory of an alleged a gang rape of "Jackie" by members of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at the University of Virginia, the evidence shows that CNN's desire to write a sensational story led them to a fatal flaw of journalism in writing a story that was "too good to check."
This story must also be retracted.
Send complaints to: http://www.cnn.com/feedback
Link: http://notpsu.blogspot.com/2017/06/cnn-must-also-retract-1971-paterno-story.html
Monday, June 26
CNN Must Also Retract 1971 Paterno Story
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/p...-story-linking-trump-and-russia-20170624.html
Sara Ganim's incredulous report about a 1971 report to Paterno by a Sandusky fails to meet journalism standards
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/p...-story-linking-trump-and-russia-20170624.html
By
Ray Blehar
June 26, 2017: 10:15AM EDT
Recently,CNN retracted and removed all links to a political storybecause the story failed to meet its editorial standards. It needs to do the same for its May 6, 2016 story about an alleged Sandusky victim who allegedly made a 1971 report to then Penn State University (PSU) football coach, Joe Paterno.
CNN's 1971 story was authored by Sara Ganim, who received a 2012 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting about the Jerry Sandusky scandal. As such, Ganim knew or should have known that the victim's allegations did not comport with Sandusky's modus operandi as an acquaintance offender.
In addition, her history as a Penn State University (PSU) student and as a crime and courts reporter at theCentre Daily Timesalso adds to the lack of journalistic integrity because she knew or should have known the story's corroborating source, Bernie McCue, was known for erratic behavior, despised Joe Paterno, and was otherwise unreliable.
Unreliable source: Ganim used a well-known Paterno hater to corroborate the 1971 story.
To make matters worse, Ganim chose McCue's corroborating account over a Pennsylvania State Trooper who was also a friend of the alleged victim -- and did not find his friend’s story to be credible.
Although Ganim won a Pulitzer Prize for her Sandusky coverage, it was for local – not investigative – reporting. Evaluations conducted by notpsu.blogspot.com found numerous errors, half-truths, and omissions the ten stories that were submitted to the Pulitzer committee .
Her 1971 story was no different.
Wrong from the Start
An honest fact-check of the story would have found almost none of it to be true, starting with Ganim’s assertion that the alleged victim was the oldest known victim.
“But for many of the victims, it's not ambiguous. Like for Victim A, a 60-year-old State College native and Sandusky's oldest known victim.”
Just as many local news reports on the public record revealed that Ganim consistently erred in stating that The Second Mile separated Jerry from all programs involving children after his 2009 abuse finding, a KDKA Pittsburgh report from October 2012 revealed that a then 57 year old was abused by Sandusky over 40 years ago. That man would be at least 60 or 61 as Ganim penned her story.
Allegations Do Not Fit Sandusky’s Modus Operandi
More significantly, however, is that the KDKA report confirms Sandusky was operating as an acquaintance offender dating back to his time at the Brownson House in his hometown of Washington, Pennsylvania. The man was one of three men Sandusky victimized there.
Sandusky's acquaintance offending likely began in his teen years at the Brownson House
This story and the facts established at the Sandusky trial refuted a key point of Ganim’s story that Sandusky offended against a hitch-hiker (stranger).
All of Sandusky’s victims from the trial came as a result of Sandusky’s relationship with them through his charity. Ganim, who covered the trial, obviously had to recognize that Victim A’s allegations did not fit Sandusky’s pattern of victimizing children he had befriended.
Next, none of Sandusky’s victims from the trial alleged that he provided them with drugs or alcohol. In fact, Sandusky was well known as a church-going, teetotaler.
Last but not least, no known victim or claimant – other than Victim A – alleged that Sandusky physically assaulted them before forcibly raping them. Again, this conduct would be far outside the realm for an acquaintance/serial offender whose success relies upon gaining the trust of the victim – who will remain silent about the victimization.
Too Good To Fact Check
CNN’s story goes even further into the realm of the incredible after the alleged rape took place.
In a series of events only the extremely gullible could believe, Victim A’s injuries are noticed by his foster mother at breakfast the next morning. After some prodding, the alleged victim tells his foster mother what happened. Next, the foster mother and her husband – against Victim A’s wishes– inform the young man that they are going to report the incident to PSU officials, adding that nothing will happen because PSU won’t call the police.
Any reasonable person would find this story to be highly unlikely and question why the parents didn’t go directly to police to report the assault and rape of a foster child. Moreover, a reasonable person would question the fitness of these individuals as foster parents and ask questions about them.
But Ganim isn't a reasonable person. She needs the story to be singularly focused on Paterno.
Not only do the guardians of the young man then follow through on their call PSU, but they insist that the 15-year old boy tell his story to none other than Joe Paterno.
Like the questionable account of Mike McQueary, Victim A stated he did not tell Paterno he was raped, but that he made it very clear “it was a sexual attack.”
Paterno’s Response: Ganim and CNN Fail History
The credibility of the story completely failed when Victim A recalled Paterno’s handling of his report (emphasis added).
"I made it clear there were things done to me that I just can't believe could have been done to me and I couldn't escape. I said, 'I'm very upset and scared and I couldn't believe I let my guard down.' They listened to me. And then all hell broke loose.
"They were asking me my motive, why I would say this about someone who has done so many good things."
Jerry Sandusky did not establish The Second Mile until 1977. He had no track record of good deeds that would have prompted such a response from Paterno.
In 1971, Jerry Sandusky had been on the PSU coaching staff for just two years and had just begun coaching linebackers, having switched from defensive line coach. At that point in his tenure, he was not an indispensable part of the staff. Sandusky was, in fact, replacing somewhat of a coaching legend – Dan “Bad Rad” Radakovich, who left PSU for the Steelers.
There was nothing in 1971 that would have stopped Paterno from doing exactly what he did in 2001 – which was to take the report seriously and forward it to his superiors.
CNN Must Retract Story
Much like Sabrina Erdley's nowinfamousRolling Stonestory of an alleged a gang rape of "Jackie" by members of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at the University of Virginia, the evidence shows that CNN's desire to write a sensational story led them to a fatal flaw of journalism in writing a story that was "too good to check."
This story must also be retracted.
Send complaints to: http://www.cnn.com/feedback
