http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124111931
There is so much in this article that disturbs me. A lot of it has to do with the fact that is an OpEd piece listed
labeled as "news." I am all for OpEd pieces. I'd just like them to be labeled as such. My bigger issue has to do with such careless reporting, but if I am to request it be labeled OpEd, I can't also request that it follow tenants of good, fact-based reporting.
I will summarize for those who don't feel like reading the article. Girl was raped. Police did nothing. She went to university. Administrative proceedings ensued, results were not good. Now we should be upset at the university and demand they do a better job at investigating such crimes.
Really? Do you really want university administrators performing law enforcement duties? Nowhere in this essay is therw any outrage at the police. The police are the ones who shirked their duty here. The police have an obligation to investigate crimes. The District Attorney should be prosecuting said crimes. (I almost said "the police should be investigating and prosecuting," but I have heard the intro to Law and Order one too many times. Police investigate; DAs prosecute the offenders.)
Then there is the discussion of the offender. He had a drinking problem. Uhm....so what? How is this relevant. It's not. Neither is the fact that he got in a fight with another guy. Rape is a predatory crime, and neither his drinking nor his beating up another guy would be allowed in court. Just like we wouldn't, and shouldn't, be allowed to ask how many times she had come back to the dorm drunk that semester. Someone sent the victim an email saying she too was attacked by the same rapist and this information was given to the university, who apparently was supposed to consider this information in their handling of the case. Really? Would this make it into court? Should it? There seems to be some inconsistency here - university should be hard on criminals, but should not follow general rules of evidence. You can't have it both ways - demand the university act like a court for the accuser, but not for the accused.
But in the end, I don't want the university playing prosecutor. Do you want your English Lit professor investigating a murder? Is a rape investigation less serious or complicated?
