Does Ashley Read His Own Paper?

Some time ago, Durham resident Graham Marlette referred to Mike Nifong as a human piñata.

“Night after night on cable news and blogs, he is the human piñata in this on-going drama of the rape that never was.”

While Nifong is certainly deserving of this appellation, it appears that his hip-hugger, Bob Ashley, perhaps suffering sympathy pains, is intent on wearing that label too. Daily, Mr. Ashley provides fodder for this blog, and others, to ridicule his aversion to truth, common sense, and journalistic ethics. Yesterday’s appearance at the Duke Hoax Media discussion reveals Mr. Ashley to be equally disingenuous in person as he is in print. His own paper highlights his hypocrisy:

“Bob Ashley, editor of The Herald-Sun, said racial caricatures depicting an elite university in a poor town surfaced once the national media got involved.”

"To several of the networks, that was the storyline that took hold and that was what exacerbated what went on,"

Curiously, Ashley borrows the “caricature” description from co-panelist, Professor James Coleman, in assailing the coverage of “several of the networks.” Ironically, his use of that term to describe the inaccurate and inordinate national media coverage comes on the same day that his Snooze Room printed that same word to describe his own distortions. In a letter to the editor published only hours before Ashley leveled his charges at others, Coleman wrote of Ashley:

"Like much of the media hype that has surrounded the case, your editorial turns the case into an ugly caricature by suggesting that the decision to prosecute the Duke students was made by a valiant prosecutor on a white horse who is defending a helpless black woman who "ranks near the bottom of society."

It is not surprising that the absence of truth we find so often in the words Ashley prints, shines through in the hypocrisy that he verbalizes. The national media he points his finger at has done little more than echo the caricature he initiated. In early April, Mr. Ashley appeared nationally on PBS to present this impression that he now accuses others of fostering.“I think it combines so many forces right now. It combines the question of race. It combines the question of, you know, 200 years of concern over exploitation of black women by white men of privilege. It contains the elements of an elite university and its surrounding community. It's really a perfect storm of events that have come together and causes that have come together.” Ashley interview with PBS

Further revealing himself to be void of credibility, Ashley admit’s

“the Herald Sun should have been quicker to aggressively examine the competency of the investigation.”

That statement implies that the Snooze Room has begun to “aggressively examine the competency of the investigation.” If such an undertaking has begun at the Herald Sun, we can only assume it has started today as no signs of any examination of this nature has yet to appear on the pages of the Herald Sun. Within the past week, Ashley’s hacks have not only continued to ignore the lack of investigative competency but also have defended both the prosecutor and the police vehemently. Yet, with a glowing hypocrisy, Mr. Ashley pretends that his snooze paper has begun to “examine the competency of the investigation.”

Within the past week, Mr. Ashley’s Herald Sun has stated:

“The players maintained an aura of sweet innocence with reporter Ed Bradley either downplaying or ignoring conflicting evidence.”

“We still haven't heard why an assault couldn't have occurred during those gaps.”

“we haven't heard compelling evidence, from "60 Minutes" or anywhere else, that the charges should be dropped.”

Exactly one week ago, the Herald Sun offered the following defense of the investigation Mr. Ashley pretends to be examining:

“Baker said he will be interested to see what new details the show brings to light, but he doesn't believe the Durham Police Department's work on the case should be second-guessed if new statements contradict previous ones.”

Ashley appears to blame the Snooze Room’s failures not on his unwillingness to report truthfully but rather on his lack of resources.

“One of my regrets on this, quite honestly, is that I’ve not had enough resources to throw at the story.” Triangle Blog at JohnLocke.org

Repeatedly over the past several months, this blog, and others, have managed, with a budget of little more than truth, willingness and compassion, to do exactly what Mr. Ashley whines his limited resources disallows.