Why is this case not as widely reported as the Lacrosse case?

Question

Media nervous on new Duke U. rape case (updated)
Thomas Lifson
A new and even more scandalous rape allegation has surfaced at Duke University. Yet the usual media and campus PC crowd are keeping mighty quiet. Identity politics apparently trumps all sense of outrage.

Of course, after the disgraceful media and university reaction to the phony allegations against Duke Lacrosse team members, it is wise avoid jumping to conclusions, but the comparative silence on the current case is nonetheless remarkable, considering how many particulars of the case were left out of the main AP account.

Mike Adams, writing on Townhall, lays out the facts the MSM won't:

Frank Lombard is the associate director of Duke's Center for Health Policy. The university administrator was recently arrested by the FBI and charged with offering up his adopted 5-year-old son for sex. I tried to contact Frank Lombard over the weekend to probe his expertise regarding the health benefits of raping small children. So far, he's declined to comment.

University administrator Lombard is accused of logging on to a chat room online and describing himself as a "perv dad for fun." The detective who wisely looked into the suspicious screen name says that Lombard admitted to molesting his own adopted son. All this was before allegedly inviting a stranger to travel to North Carolina from another state to statutorily rape his already-molested adopted son.


It gets worse. The allegations are stunning and sickening. Adams spares us what he says is the worst.

However, identity politics are probably also involved in understanding the media response. Again, Adams:

The Associate Press (AP) did not mention the fact that the five-year old offered up for molestation was black. Bringing that fact to light might be damaging to the political coalition that exists between blacks and gays. Nor did the AP mention that the adopted child is being raised by a homosexual couple. Bringing that fact to light might harm the gay adoption movement.


I am afraid that as far as the media and academic communities are involved, it is not the crime itself that matters, but rather whether the alleged perp is a member of an "oppressor" group. Although white, Lombard is gay, so in the interest of avoiding unpleasant stories involving homosexual adoption, the media is anxious to shut down public interest in the affair.

However, the outspokenness and willingness to judge in advance a case involving white jocks - easy targets - of Duke and media, inevitably place a spotlight on their handling of another Duke rape allegation.

Update: Thomas Lifson notes that Stanley B. Chambers of the Raleigh News and Observer (hat tip: C. Edmund Wright) brings is the following nugget:

Lombard, a licensed clinical social worker with a master's degree in social work, is a health-disparities researcher who studies HIV/AIDS in the rural South.


This means that Lombard toiled in fields of the victimology industry, mining data for correlations that would underwrite government favoritism of victim groups.

A victimologist victimized at least one child in the most heinous way. The ultimate victim(s). And the media see no hypocrisy, and want to make sure the public doesn't either. Nothing to see here, move along.

Answer 1

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The media fundamentally agree with this guy's activism; therefore, it would be politically correct to "out" his reprehensible behavior. I saw this story today on Michelle Malkin's blog.

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I think it's irresponsible journalism. Thanks for your answer.

Answer 2

The saying "once bitten, twice shy" comes to mind here.

The media got burned, badly, with their mangled coverage about the previous rape allegation. Lawsuits are STILL in process from that....and probably will run for years to come.

From what I've seen, the local media IS covering the story. Why isn't the story national news? Perhaps the media is trying to do the responsible thing, for once, and wait until there are actual facts to report, instead of just hearsay, rumors, and accusations. If you think that's "journalism" then just stick to the tabloids.