I had always imagined that it was reflecting a range of views from within a community where something newsworthy had occurred. How wide is community in these global days?

To illustrate my point, a local post office closes in North West Scotland. None of the residents are disabled, elderly, or even use the post office – hence its closure. None of them are remotely worried by the closure. If a reporter is asked to cover the story, is it sufficient that he correctly reports that none of the inhabitants will be inconvenienced nor even mourn the passing of their community ‘asset’? Should he also include the views of inhabitants of a small hamlet in South East Cornwall, whose inhabitants would be shocked by such a closure if it happened to them?

Do the media have a duty to counterbalance one point of view with a politically correct view held by another community?

I pose the question because the New York Times has got itself into a terrible pickle. We must assume for the purpose of posing this question that the reporter concerned was accurately reporting a unified view from the community, and not censoring the quotes he included to uphold his own bias. Since it is the New York Times we are speaking of, it is reasonable to assume that this was a fully qualified, professional, and impartial reporter.

Down in Texas, in Cleveland, a despicable crime is alleged to have occurred. An 11 year old girl says she was raped by 18 different young men in an abandoned trailer. The trailer and the young men are all based in the same community. The young girl might be considered an ‘outsider’ coming as she did, from another country. The New York Times reporter headed down to the community where this attack occurred. He solicited the opinion of members of that community. The result has created a firestorm.

He managed to avoid mentioning that the alleged perpetrators were all black youths – but equally, so was the victim. He didn’t mention that fact either. So far so balanced.

However, the language he used to describe the alleged perpetrators has caused great offence. He pointed out that some were High School pupils, indeed two were members of the basketball team. Good points in their favour perhaps. Later, he adds that ‘a few’, no numbers mentioned, had criminal records, including in one case, manslaughter.

Then came the quotes:

“It’s just destroyed our community,” said Sheila Harrison, 48, a hospital worker who says she knows several of the defendants. “These boys have to live with this the rest of their lives.”

A statement which many, outside of the community, felt reflected more concern for the perpetrators than the victim.

The killer quote was this one:

Residents in the neighbourhood where the abandoned trailer stands — known as the Quarters — said the victim had been visiting various friends there for months. They said she dressed older than her age, wearing makeup and fashions more appropriate to a woman in her 20s. She would hang out with teenage boys at a playground, some said.

“Where was her mother? What was her mother thinking?” said Ms. Harrison, one of a handful of neighbours who would speak on the record. “How can you have an 11-year-old child missing down in the Quarters?”

As it happens, possibly quite easily, given that the Mother was suffering from several brain tumours, and both Mother and Daughter were outsiders in that community. Both have now left the area. So who is left to speak up for the victim? No one it seems.

The case has rocked this East Texas community to its core and left many residents in the working-class neighbourhood where the attack took place with unanswered questions. Among them is, if the allegations are proved, how could their young men have been drawn into such an act?

‘Drawn in’, suggests that the consensus opinion was that this was all the fault of a precocious child. A point of view that enrages some in the wider community outside of the area where our intrepid reporter was reporting from.

The Houston Chronicle has a different take on the saga – they appear to be in the area where the family have now located, and interviewed help organisations who are in direct contact with the family, an article far more sympathetic to the girl and her automatic age related innocence, regardless of how she dresses, acts, or behaves.

The New York Times reporter wasn’t in Houston – he was in Cleveland where the sympathy was all for ‘our boys’. A few days later, The New York Times was crawling for forgiveness. Their Public Editor said:

My assessment is that the outrage is understandable. The story dealt with a hideous crime but addressed concerns about the ruined lives of the perpetrators without acknowledging the obvious: concern for the victim.

While the story appeared to focus on the community’s reaction to the crime, it was not enough to simply report that the community is principally concerned about the boys and men involved – as this story seems to do. If indeed that is the only sentiment to be found in this community – and I find that very hard to believe – it becomes important to report on that as well by seeking out voices of professional authorities or dissenting community members who will at least address, and not ignore, the plight of the young girl involved.

For the purposes of balance in this article I include a link to the Associated Press report. The New York Times has also subsequently sent the same reporter out to interview the girl’s family.

The issue under discussion is an emotive one. That shouldn’t cloud the central point of my question. Is it the responsibility of a reporter to ensure balanced reporting by trawling the entire universe until he finds a dissenting point of view – or if he is sent to one community to report on a story, can he report a unanimous view?

Take the political hot potato of rape, underage sex, and indeed, colour, out of this report, and apply the technique to less emotive subjects. Well, marginally less emotive – let’s take the UKs membership of the European Union! If every citizen in the UK unanimously condemns our membership – should our intrepid reporter be travelling to France or German for a dissenting view? Or does this theory only apply when faced with one of the current ‘hot potatoes’?

Is balanced reporting searching out a dissenting view wherever you have to go to find it, or is it truthfully reporting what you have found in the area you were sent to?

Ancient and Tattered
Airman April 4, 2011 at 22:33

Begging your pardon Ma’am, but I sent a copy of this item to a Texan friend
of mine who is still flying. Here is what he said.

“Since it is the New York Times we are speaking of, it is reasonable to
assume that this was a fully qualified, professional, and impartial
reporter.”

Oh Dear Anna. Dear, dear Anna. Must be another case of that dry, British
humor that routinely goes whizzing right over my head. Or could our darling be
that naive? Uninformed perhaps? That rag is not known as The New York Slime
for nothing. A sewer within a sewer of a city.

Anna
Raccoon April 4, 2011 at 22:38

Texans never do get British satire……

Zaphod April 4, 2011 at 22:50

I think it was irony. x

Zaphod April 4, 2011 at 22:08

This is a horrible story. I often forget how ugly the world can be. What
the hell can I say?

And the Victim?
April 4, 2011 at 21:17

Ouch.
Tks.

2Mac April 4, 2011 at 14:30

Never been one to hide from the facts I will tell them as I understand
it.

Rapists – All African-American, Aged (14-30) 18 Charged possibly 28 at the
scene over the hours of the gang rape. Cell phones were used to call in more
friends to join records used to identify suspects, cell phone photo’s and
video was passed around and went viral at school. Police have arrested and
interviewed boys identified in films committing and viewing rapes. All boys
are from or have relatives in Precinct 20 (Quarters), a notorious Black area.
The boys come from many well off families including School Governors Son and
many basketball stars from same school.

Girl – Latino – 11 years old, mother in hospital with brain trouble, girl
is straight A student. Was picked up by 19 year old blacks x 3 and told to
perform sex acts or they would have her beaten by girls. The attack took place
over a period of many hours and at two locations. Girls family have been
threatened and have been forced to leave area, girl removed from school due to
threats and now in care as mother is unable to look after her due to
illness.
Massive smear campaign in town imply little girls shoudl expect to
be gang raped due to choice of clothing and or makeup.

Town – 8000 people. 50% white 25% black 25% Latino

JuliaM April 4,
2011 at 13:45

“Is it the responsibility of a reporter to ensure balanced reporting by
trawling the entire universe until he finds a dissenting point of
view…”

Only when that ‘dissenting point of view’ serves to confirm his own liberal
worldview, of course!

Châtelaine April 4, 2011 at 13:25

Soeur Eva, please don’t do this anymore without an appropriate warning. I
only watched the first 10-15 seconds or so and am still sitting on the floor
waiting for my knees to function again …

Sister Eva
Longoria April 4, 2011 at 14:24

Ooops!

Engineer April 4, 2011 at 13:24

Is this an example of the difference between matters of record, and comment
or opinion?

Reporting facts should be just that – recording observed facts or
statements as accurately as possible with as little omission as possible.
Others can then discuss, offer opinion or comment. However, for the latter to
have value, it depends on the veracity of the former.

By that measure, the original report perhaps should have included a
statement from the victim’s representatives, or a statement to the fact that
no such victim’s representatives comment was available at time of
publication.

(P.S. Since I’m not a journalist, and have never had any journalistic
training, the above is either a statement of the journalistically blooming
obvious, or the opinion of an amateur. Either way, no typewriters or lap-tops
were harmed in the making of this comment.)

Sister Eva
Longoria April 4, 2011 at 12:55

I always think THIS is a good piece of BALANCED reportage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAVj2IVC9ko

Tra la la!

Disenfranchised of Buckingham April 4, 2011 at 12:10

IMHO the original report was right and balanced reporting actually damages
the underlying story.

That story is that there are communities that see girls as responsible for
rape not men. The attempt to balance the reporting is actually hiding this
bigger picture.