Looks like the sexual assault case against former International Monetary Fund leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn may be falling apart. Perhaps.
The Associated Press reports that investigators now believe the accuser — a maid at the hotel where Strauss-Kahn was staying — lied about the details of the attack and about her background.
Jennifer Peltz and Tom Hays of the AP report:
Prosecutors think she lied about details on her application for asylum in the U.S., including saying she had been raped in her native Guinea, the official told the AP.
“She actually recounted the entire story to prosecutors and later said it was false,” the official said.
Prosecutors haven’t necessarily reached a new conclusion about the allegations against Strauss-Kahn and have not decided whether to downgrade the charges, the official said.
Here’s how the New York Post and the New York Daily News played the story today.
Now, here’s my point…
Both papers have gleefully blasted this story out on page one since it first broke in mid-May. Both papers have used terms like “Le Perv” to describe the accused, who is from France.
My stash of front pages — pulled from the Newseum at the time — consists of a couple of Daily News covers from May 16 (left) and May 26 (right)…
… which seem relatively tame. That was a perp walk, a “walk of shame” on the left. And at least the deck on the right calls him the “accused.”
But check out these New York Post fronts.
Those are the front pages from: May 16, May 17; May 20, May 21; May 22 and May 26.
I’m seeing a lot of unqualified language here. No “investigators say.” No “allegedly.” No nuthin’. Just a lot of pretty strong language and name-calling. Pretty funny if the guy is guilty. If he’s not convicted for any reason, however, not so much.
I’m quite aware of the tradition of provocative headlines among the New York tabloids. I just don’t see how these guys keep from getting sued.
It’s all very amusing to call some high-and-mighty financial guy a “pervert” or a “skunk” or say he’s on a “booty Gaul.” But even if you’re don’t get sued, having an amusing page one headline doesn’t make it right.
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Average daily circulation for the Daily News is 530,924. Average daily circulation for the Post is 522,874.
All of these front pages are from the Newseum. Of course.
