[Update, II, 4.27pm, below]:
[Update III, 11.31pm: The Washington Post, admirably, has now modified its language, noting that the falsely accused lacrosse players were "exonerated," that the case itself was "controversial," and omitting the incorrect inference that the falsely accused of racist behavior.]
[Update IV, 12.22pm, 5/4: An important point from the comment thread: "Stories about this case are constantly linking it with the Duke case; and these comparisons are evidence of how those false accusations continue to damage the reputations of the Duke lacrosse team members."]
[Update V, 5.39pm, 5/4: A most unfortunate item from Emily Friedman of ABC: "The prep school is no stranger to controversy. Several of the Duke lacrosse players who were implicated in the 2006 rape scandal were also alumni." No mention that the charges were false. How can a "rape scandal" exist in a case in which no rape occurred?]
Original Post:
A horrifying story from Charlottesville, where a member of the UVA men's lacrosse team has been charged with murdering a member of the women's lacrosse team.
The Washington Post has linked the matter back to the lacrosse case. Here's how the Post describes the case: " . . . shortly after allegations of sexual assault and racist behavior were made against members of Duke University's men's lacrosse team . . . All charges against Duke's team members were dropped." [emphases added]
The charges were "dropped"? Actually, of course, the players were declared innocent--a rather significant difference. And the wording of the Post's passage conveys the impression that "allegations" of "racist behavior" were directed against the three falsely accused players.
[Update: The Post formulation has appeared--essentially verbatim--in the New York Daily News. In what appears to be a case of journalistic plagiarism, the News' Teri Thompson writes, "Huguely attended the Landon School in Bethesda, where he also played lacrosse. He was interviewed by the Washington Post in 2006, shortly after allegations of sexual assault and racist behavior were made against members of Duke University's men's lacrosse team. Five of Duke's players that year had graduated from Landon. All charges against Duke's team members were dropped."
Here, again, is the item from the Post: "Huguely attended the Landon School in Bethesda, where he also played lacrosse. He was interviewed by the Post in 2006, shortly after allegations of sexual assault and racist behavior were made against members of Duke University's men's lacrosse team. Five of Duke's players that year had graduated from Landon. All charges against Duke's team members were dropped."
The two passages are identical, with the sole exception that Thompson inserted a "Washington" ahead of the "Post."]
[Update, II: ESPN has the charges being "dismissed"--no mention of innocence, but at least a slightly more accurate formulation than the Post. The ESPN article also wildly claims that the accused Virginia player attended the same high school as did Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty (who, it's worth noting, didn't even attend the same high school themselves, and neither attended Huguely's high school): "By coincidence, Huguely attended the same prep school as the Duke lacrosse players who were accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a team party. The charges later were dismissed."
ESPN has now modified its article; below is the screenshot.
]
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