WHOA! .... Bill Conlin resigns amid child molestation investigation

I think if Chris looked at it objectively, he would see the differences in the situations between Sandusky/Fine and Conlin. A newspaper columnist is not the public figure that a coach in a major sport at a major college is. It sounds like he wants to grind an axe here, because Conlin is in the media. Absent court proceedings, there's nothing official to report. And I don't think the general public cares enough to read about some sportswriter. Now if Conlin was a national network anchor or more visible network commentator, there would be more prurient interest.

We've seen heartstring stories run their course before. In fact, one of the story lines for these stories when there's no more news is, "Gee, isn't it too bad nobody cares about this any more?"

And I'm not saying I don't care about child molesters going unpunished. I'm saying it's moved out of the general public's interest. It's old news.

 

Except portions of the broad public who care will continue to believe (for a number of well-exposed, obvious reasons) that the fat old load was an epic Dirty Old Man with absolutely no shame and a grotesquely-swollen sense of his own importance.

He deserves to be shunned and ostracized, on that basis. But if he's essentially bolted to the islands and can support his own dream world, what is anyone going to do about it?

 

Yeah, if there's anything that the mainstream press ignores, it's sex offender laws. :

 

Dick - you are supposedly a grown up. Can you express yourself without using emoticons or are your writing skills really that bad?

 

I'm impressed that you replied in public. Last time you PM'ed me your address, I believe.

 

Wow - you really want to pick a fight on the Journalism Board on a thread about a child molester?

You have some serious issues. I feel sorry for you

 

i think your second story idea is valid. it goes to the heart of numerous fundamental flaws in our criminal justice system, which is the criminal procedure is held out as being about what is just and fair. whereas the truth is that if this guy committed the crimes, in a world in which we considered only what's fair and not fair, there is no rational reason why he shouldn't be investigated for the crime. but that's not the way our society works. and it takes more than a simple 18-inch story in the sport section to tackle the fundamental fairness - or lack thereof - of the concept of statutes of limitations and why they exist in the first place. really, have you ever thought about why someone should evade punishment for everything other than murder just because time passed?

the first story suggestion is something that no one cares about. so bc is now a miserable old man sitting in some shitty ass house in some small city watching law and order reruns and watching online porn while eating too much fast food. who cares?

 

You're a trip.

 

"Gets away with this" could mean avoiding things like a trial and jail time. If so, then it would surely appear as if Conlin will "get away with it" because the laws as currently written preclude charging him let alone putting him on trial. And without a trial, punishment becomes very difficult in US jurisprucence.

At some point, an enterprising reporter will gather more info about this and write a long-form piece about what accusers say and what others might say - - albeit not likely what Conlin says directly - - about any/all of this. But absent charges or new allegations that are more outrageous than the ones already out there, I am not sure what there is to report that advances the story. There is plenty to report that summarizes or rehashes what has been said before, but I really do not know what new info is available now.

Reporters are not working on stories about the disappearance of Judge Crater for a similar reason. There is not anything new to report...

 

Jack - I don't disagree with you. I just found it strange that what was such a blockbuster of a story went completely dark so quickly.

I thought it was worth asking about.

 

It was good food for thought from a thoughtful contributor to the site. Thank you, Chris, for raising the issue.

 

Raymond Shaw is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life.