The News and Record Blows It - Again

After printing a defamatory article regarding a local coach and local high school on Saturday morning without having done due diligence in checking the facts first, the News and Record had an opportunity to make things right. But they didn't. They made things worse still. The headline today (in the online version of the article anyway) reads: "Coach declines to respond to charge he ignored staph." The staff writer, Robert Bell, chose to sensationalize the matter even more by framing a headline, and a story, around the appearance of stonewalling and further cover up. In other words, the follow up creates the appearance that the parties that should have been thoroughly interviewed in the first place are now stone walling the media, hiding behind their lawyers, or whatever. The back story remains unreported. The back story in this case is absolutely key. I think that it is the common experience of most people involved in sports that there is always drama on the fringes. One parent has it out for a coach for whatever reason, talks to other people who are unhappy for whatever reason, and soon enough gossip is flying around like nobody’s business. This is true in recreation league sports. It is true in school sports. There is always some kind of drama and some kind of backbiting behind the scenes. It’s amazing anyone agrees to coach anything. A cautious and thorough investigation would have revealed all this, but it is too late now.There are two problems that make getting to the truth at this point very difficult. First, now that the original story has been printed, and accusations have been made, the issue potentially has become a legal one. If what was printed Saturday were true, the coaches and principals could be victims of lawsuits, civil or criminal, or, they could be forced into a position to file lawsuits. Second and trickier still, the only way to refute the charges in an unambiguous manner is to present detailed medical information regarding the various students. But that would be a direct violation of federal HIPAA laws. Let’s imagine that a women suffering from paranoid schizophrenia with delusional issues calls the paper and says that on Thursday at 2:00pm I sexually assaulted her in my office. Let’s say that on Thursday at 2:00pm there was no one in my office but me. Let’s say that the paper calls me and leaves me a voice mail, and I don’t return the call before print deadline. So they run an article about how a local woman claims to have been sexually assaulted by a pastor in his office. Even if I had gotten the voice mail and returned the call I would not be able to talk about the person’s medical history. I could only say it didn’t happen. I could not verify that it didn’t happen because we don’t have cameras up in our office (maybe we should). My reputation would be in the toilet. People are ready to believe almost any kind of sordid news story. Once the story was out I would be in touch with a lawyer and I would not be saying anything else. I have no idea what would happen to me. The News and Record has let itself get caught up in a personal vendetta. I am not meaning to imply that the parties are mentally ill. I simply needed to illustrate how something like this could play out in my situation. The comparison has to do with personal medical information and it is handled. Whatever medical diagnoses these students had, and when they had them, well, the coaches cannot tell that to the paper. It is against the law. By letting itself get caught up in a personal grudge the News and Record has soiled the reputation of a good man and good coach, and called into question the commitment of a school and school system to student and public health. It all seems more fitting for the National Inquirer than our local paper. The school principle (who is also an extremely good man with the highest personal integrity) and the wrestling coach of SE High have submitted a joint statement to the media relations folks at Guilford County Schools. As far as I understand things, that will have to do for now. It remains the case that there is no basis for any of the claims that have been made. An overwhelming percentage of parents and students who are involved in the program at SE High and who are more than aware of the standard practices to protect student and public safety, and who know the character of the coaches and principal at SE High, will have a chance to speak their mind. But as a media issue, because the News and Record jumped the gun, the detailed facts of the case will not be able to be brought to the public eye. I am extremely disappointed in the quality of reporting of our local paper as revealed by this whole business. It seems that truth is quite secondary to sensationalism. That disturbs me. I am not going to cancel my subscription because I like the Sudoku puzzles too much, but I will take a more cynical posture toward anything I read henceforth. You should too.