On Sat, Nov 15, 2014 at 3:50 PM, Kevin M. <[email protected]> wrote:
> > > On Sat, Nov 15, 2014 at 3:28 PM, PGage <[email protected]> wrote: > >> I am honestly not following your logic here. I don't think anyone here >> has remotely suggested that Cosby is guilty of the charges, and I have >> stated several times that he has not been convicted of any crime. I have >> seen commentators who refer to him as a "serial rapist", which is grotesque >> and unfounded. But the question here is, is it appropriate for an NPR >> journalist to simply ask Mr. Cosby a question about the charges? In my >> view, not only is the answer clearly "yes", but anyone aspiring to be >> worthy of the description journalist would be badly remiss if they did not >> ask the question. >> > > The logic is as follows. I don't believe asking someone a question based > on internet gossip has any connection to being a journalist. I likened it > to asking questions about conspiracy theories because at the moment that's > all it is. In the case of the one cited op-ed, the person said there were > witnesses to verify her claims (agents, drivers, personal assistants, etc) > but didn't name them and none of them have come forward. The incident in > question occurred decades ago so if true there isn't likely to be a > Lewinsky-style dress still hanging around, or again the accuser would put > it forward as evidence. Absent witnesses or physical evidence, it remains > nothing more than gossip. No self-respecting reporter questions someone > based on gossip, and no self-respecting person dignifies such a question > with any sort of response. > Okay - that helps. Now I do follow your logic, I just dispute your premise. The accusations against Cosby add up to a lot more than "internet gossip". There is a huge gap between evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that provides the basis for a criminal conviction, and idle chatter. When there is a plausible basis for asking the question, it is the job of journalists to try to fill in that gap. Certainly nobody expects journalists to only ask questions about accusations unless the subject has first been convicted of a crime. -- -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
