Stolen Horse--Man is BACK in jail!

[Stina]

I think its time to start hitting national news with this bull.... This isn't just about a person and a horse....its about a blatant failing of the legal system...if it can happen in one town, it can happen in ANY town and the whole country should be concerned about it. They all run stories on stupid pointless stuff all the time....surely someone will take notice if they get a bunch of e-mails!

http://www.newsvine.com/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18616878/ns/community-firstperson/
http://www.foxnews.com/ureport/index.html
newsmanager @ foxnews.com (this e-mail addy is at the bottom of every page of the fox news site)
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/tips/index.html
investigates @ cbsnews.com (posted openly on cbs website)
http://abcnews.go.com/Site/page?id=3052660 (not specifically for suggesting stories, but I couldn't find anyplace specifically for that)

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Got this reply..
"Sir, you are posting to our website, so I need to confirm you are valid."


I said this back....

"I don't know how more confirmed I can get.

But this.. "To: (list of email address they sent me) "
is bad form.
Never cc to other people. You are giving away addresses. Bad form as an individual an just sorry for a business."



Side Note...

They took the time to prowl around my website(from my email signature).... Anyone got a use for there IP address?

 

[lockedhearts]

They posted my comment but I have not received an email asking me to verify.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Got the first email just before noon today... Commented yesterday...

 

[Turtle]

I got an email back from her and here it is along with what I sent



Ms. Jackson, the victim is aware she can speak to us about this case, and she has yet to do so. I will do so again momentarily.
Perhaps you have a valid e-mail address for her, or could ask her to write a letter to the editor, since you seem to know her?

We, like every other newspaper, publish from the standpoint of "legal" documents and what happens in the court case. I am very sorry, but this is how it works; it is the legally correct way to do business. You might talk to a lawyer yourself about this if I am not convincing you. What is part of the court documents is what a newspaper must use, because we are legally protected under "qualified privilege." (In other words, we can legally "assume" what's in these documents is accurate, even if it turns out later not to be so.) This is not from the perpetrator's viewpoint, as you say; it is from the legal documents filed in the case.

Occasionally, a victim may choose to speak out, but that is the individual's choice, and that of their attorney. This is a rare occurrence, because attorneys typically do not want their clients talking to newspapers in such cases. We, as a newspaper, simply cannot call an accused individual a "crook," any more than we can call someone a "murderer," "rapist," etc. Such labels are libelous until proved through a court of law. This is why I've not posted a number of comments. Individual blogs, or as you say, the "new media,"
are not under such constraints. We could be sued; it would be more difficult to sue a blog.

I must also tell you (though it may not matter to you) that this is one of hundreds of cases going through our court system right now, and many local residents do not understand why we are being "flamed"
by comments on this and no other case, since we have many more involving violent crimes such as murder. Delays in the courts like you've seen with this one are quite typical here and elsewhere, and as someone who's been in the profession 30 years, I can attest to that personally.

I sympathize with Ms. Rodriguez personally (though I don't know her), but I should tell you I'm getting phone calls from local readers who are accusing her of making these comments herself. I will continue to post some (but not all) of the comments from out of state, but I'm not sure it is helping Ms. Rodriguez' case, and since you are not from "these parts," I just want you and your friends to be aware of that.

Thank you for your time.

Kim


On Apr 2, 2010, at 12:49 PM, rhondas msn wrote:

>
> Yes my email address is valid. I am very concerned with what is
> happening with this case and have been following it on Back Yard
> Chicken forum since it started. I wrote my comment because I feel your
> paper is being unfair by not telling the victims side of the story. To
> be fair she should also be heard about the hardship she has suffered
> through this ordeal. I do not want to offend anyone but this is not
> right what is happening to her and since your paper published the
> story from what seemed like the perpetrators view I wanted to help
> stand up for the lady who owns the horse and has all the paperwork to
> prove it. Sometimes the new media is the only way to get the word out
> and justice done.
> Thank you for your time and response
> Sincerely,
> Rhonda Jackson

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

I didn't get a verifying request but sent this to her:

'[email protected]'

Hi Kim –

Heard you were verifying folks who posted comments on the horse theft case.

I posted to both stories – March 31st and April 1st, but neither of my comments were posted and I didn’t name call or threaten anyone.

Thousands have been following this case since August 09 and are finally sick and tired of all of the delays in this case.

You may have thought several people were posting with fake names from the same IP address but that’s not the case. Many of us posted from a link that was on our forum but should all have individual IP addresses.

My post on April 1st was not from that link but to you directly.

I would appreciate it if you could do more for this young in helping her get her horse back.

Thank you,
(Name)
Olympia, WA

And just got this back:
Hello, Nancy. About the only thing we can do is report on the case. We have offered the victim a chance to speak out.
Kim


My response back. Haven't heard back.

Kim –

Thank you for the quick response.

I’m a little confused about what you mean by “we have offered the victim a chance to speak out”. Do you mean, a chance to voice her opinion through posts to the comment section or did you attempt to make contact with her to add her comments in your story?

Thank you again,
(Name)
Olympia, WA

 

[lockedhearts]

Quote:
So might one assume that the "phone calls from local readers who are accusing her of making these comments herself" would be from people with the last name of Ryals and Trammel ..........

 

[Wifezilla]

If what they say is true, why do they need a staff of 5? They can just have one person copy and paste the court documents and stop PRETENDING THEY ACTUALLY ARE REPORTERS!!!

A true reporter doesn't just accept ANYTHING AS FACT. They look for verification regardless of source. Someone who just regurgitates court files isn't a reporter. That person is a HACK.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

So might one assume that the "phone calls from local readers who are accusing her of making these comments herself" would be from people with the last name of Ryals and Trammel ..........

That would be my guess...​

 

[Catstar68]

Quote:
" you are not from "these parts" ???? And just what 'parts' are those? The Independent Republic of OK? Do we simply have the wrong last name? OMG, maybe some of the local residents don't understand because they ARE ALL IN THE SAME FAMILY!!!
This is so obviously an attempt by the paper to 'call off the dogs'.
I had no idea that town was such hotbed of rapes and murders. If they have hundreds of cases going through the court system maybe it is because they are inept. It happens when people who are ill-equipt to handle a job are give or elected to one that is well above their skill set. Nepotism at it's best.
I'm willing to bet most of those court cases are out-of-towners that got caught in the local speed trap. I've heard it a hundred times....they esp. like truckers. It's how many small towns finance most of their budgets...nab outsiders who don't want the hassle of coming back so they just pay at the last minute or get continuances until they have to pay. It still stays on the books and the local judges look extra busy.