El Defensor Chieftain – the government paper
Date Mon May 2, 2005 11:20 pm | Topic: Public Integrity
| When it comes to publications that fall outside of the definition of a free press the list is never absent Socorro’s El Defensor Chieftain. In fact the EDC is the best friend a prosecutor could have when it comes to shaping public perception in favor of the prosecution position in any given case. Here is a fine example of the lengths Dana Bowley and the crew at EDC will leap in order to strengthen a case in the public eye.
Back in January when Phyllis Carroll was arrested for the killing of her husband Jim Carroll back in 1998 3 newspapers of record covered the story. At that time 2 of the 3 reported that the South Carolina lab report that is the lynchpin of this case referred to what they found as similar. The Gallup Independent reported the degree of similarity.
Albuquerque Journal 1-27-05
http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/apshoot01-27-05.htm
Police sent a sweater she had been wearing to a laboratory for testing, which turned up trace evidence of gunshot residue; similar residue was found on James Carroll's shirt. Police also weren't able to find one of the Carrolls' two .38 caliber handguns.
Gallup Independent 1-28-05
http://www.gallupindependent.com/2005/jan/012805accused.html
Sept. 14, Applegate opened his mail and there was the lab report back from Stoner. "The laboratory report indicates round lead particles, a component of gunshot residue, were collected from the right and left sleeves of Phyllis Carroll's red and white sweater," Applegate said. On Oct. 20, 2004, Stoner sent Applegate a second report, this one done from tests on Jim's shirt. It too, had round lead particles, a component of gunshot residue on it.
El Defensor Chieftain 1-29-05
http://www.dchieftain.com/news/48297-01-29-05.html
According to the affidavit, police received word Oct. 20 that evidence of gunshot residue was found on the sweater, similar to gunshot residue found on James Carroll's shirt.
The Gallup Independent, who was more thorough than the other two, did not take it upon themselves to characterize the results of the lab tests. EDC, however, was apparently not satisfied with the term similar that they used in their Jan. 29 article. 10 days later similar was replaced with matching. One wonders what induced Audry Olmstead to make that change which significantly changes in the minds of readers the significance of the lab result.
El Defensor Chieftain 2-9-05
http://www.dchieftain.com/news/48611-02-09-05.html
That sweater was sent to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Forensics Services Laboratory in South Carolina in September 2004 where trace evidence of gunshot residue was found. That residue matched gunshot residue found on James Carroll's shirt.
The word matched has remained in each of the 2 additional "articles" by Olmstead though, presumably, the lab report stayed the same.
Here we have another example of the EDC placing spin on the facts to help raise a mob against a citizen rather than question the government version. The government already has a press office and resources. We the People must rely on the press. When the press is this tight in bed with the government what good is that press? Olmstead and Bowley could not give a “tinker’s damn” about a free press. They seem to feel themselves to be a part of the government the First Amendment was designed to protect them from. Why should We the People pay them to report the government version of events without question? Wake up people! The El Defensor Chieftain represents everything that a free press is not.
Paying the EDC is about like paying Pravda or Isvestia of the old USSR. They are no less unquestioning tools of the state. Ask yourself when the last time you read a really critical article from the EDC of the government was. Good luck.
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This article comes from Mountain Mail Country Online - Socorro, Lincoln & Otero Counties New Mexico
http://mountainmailcountry.com
The URL for this story is:
http://mountainmailcountry.com/article.php?storyid=563
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