Having learned nothing from the Duke lacrosse mess, the MSM employed the same template for the residents of Jena, Louisiana. Now, one of those residents has written an article for the Christian Science Monitor explaining the media myths of the Jena 6.
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.
The real story of Jena and the Jena 6 is quite different from what the national media presented. It's time to set the record straight.
I commented a month or so ago on this story and stated my opposition to passing judgment until the legal system had had a chance to do its work. This was not because I'm so intelligent, but because stories have a tendency to blow up like a live hand grenade. Particularly stories which seem to be such egregious breeches of justice as this one did.
Craig Franklin detonates a dozen of the most popular Jena 6 myths, including the idea of a "whites only" tree (no such thing), that the hung nooses were racially motivated (they weren't), that the nooses were a hate crime (they weren't), that the D.A. made threats to black students (he didn't), and that a party was only for white people (it was a private party).
Perhaps the worst part of the story is the way the MSM and those with racially-motivated agendas have glossed over the criminal records and backgrounds of some of the Jena 6 (for some, this was a first offense). Mychal Bell had four prior convictions for violence as Patterico has pointed out. But in its zeal to brand another Southern town as complicit in the worst sort of racism, the MSM never bothered to dig into the facts of the situation.
Those with an ax to grind have gotten lots of airplay with this story. From blogs to cable shows to radio, supporters of the Jena 6 have had numerous opportunities to give their view of facts. The Jena 6 have gained something close to cult status in some corners of the country.
Such glorification of unwarranted violence is disgraceful and sick. Regardless of racial tensions--and Jena doesn't seem to have had more than any other place in America--deliberately kicking and hurting a comatose person isn't a display of power; it's a stunning display of immorality and barbarity.
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