Media myths about the Jena 6

A very different view of the Jena 6:

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.

The reason the  Jena cases have been  propelled into the world spotlight is two-fold: First, because local officials did not speak publicly early on about the true events of the past year, the media simply formed their stories based on one-side's statements – the  Jena 6. Second, the  media were downright lazy in their efforts to find the truth. Often, they simply reported what they'd read on blogs, which expressed only one side of  the issue.

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Media myths about the Jena 6

A local journalist tells the story you haven't heard.

By Craig Franklin
Christian Science Monitor, 10/24/07
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1024/p09s01-coop.html
Jena, La.

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.