The Jena 6 Media Myths

Every time I post on the Jena 6 I get a rash of comments calling me all kinds of things. It's obvious that most of those comments are based on a complete ignorance of the facts of the case. They think they know what they're talking about but their "knowledge" is based more on political correctness and urban legends than objective facts.

Michelle Malkin reprints a Christian Science Monitor piece written by a journalist from Jena, LA who is also married to a teacher at Jena High School. The piece is must reading as he points out the many media myths that have clouded the facts of the story. Here's how the piece starts:

By now, almost everyone in America has heard of Jena, La., because they’ve all heard the story of the “Jena 6.” White students hanging nooses barely punished, a schoolyard fight, excessive punishment for the six black attackers, racist local officials, public outrage and protests – the outside media made sure everyone knew the basics.

There’s just one problem: The media got most of the basics wrong. In fact, 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 think you can see where this is going. I won't reprint it all here, just go to her site and read it.

UPDATE: Here's a direct link to the Christian Science Monitor article.