My email to the Editor, copied to the reporter.

Dear Editor
An article in your newspaper “Man wants rape victim's alleged past accusations revealed”
written by your reporter Carl Hessler Jr.,on the10/08/2008, implies that the woman is a ‘victim’ and has been raped.
This has yet to be demonstrated.
It is a claim on her part seemingly without any witness and based only on her word and the man is innocent until proven guilty, surely.
By reporting in this manner the man’s reputation is besmirched by the assumption of guilt made by your reporter.
That the man is out on bail would indicate that the authorities have little grounds in evidence to hold him.
It is shoddy reporting such as this that adds fuel to the hysteria about rape reports and adds further damage to the Justice system and the reputation of men in general.
The accused man deserves an apology at the very least for your reporter’s presumtuousness and prejudice.
This same mindless and automatic assumption of male-guilt is endemic and happens here in Australia too but the incidence of reporters and newspapers acting as Judge and Jury, without hearing evidence is being noted by men worldwide.
Yours sincerely (and angrily)
(The Great and Vengeful Percy, who will NOT HAVE IT !! )

So what are the odds the false accuser gets away with it without repercussion, reprimand, or inconvenience?

So, are others going to follow suit and email the editor and reporter?

AKUUS gave us very good leads to contact them.

Quote from Percy

So, are others going to follow suit and email the editor and reporter?

AKUUS gave us very good leads to contact them.

I know I will. I'm not letting them get away with this one.

I sent the following,

Dear Sir or Madam,

I’m writing in regard to the recent article in your newspaper entitled, “Man wants rape victim's alleged past accusations revealed”. I notice that while the author made sure to label the woman’s past accusations as “alleged” he neglected to apply that label before the words “rape victim’s”. As this matter has yet to go to trial, the woman is an alleged rape victim. The reporter has apparently already tried the case in his own mind and decided to call the accuser a rape victim, thus, by default, calling James VanDerbeek a rapist. What happened to innocent until proven guilty? The title of this article presupposes the guilt of Mr. VanDerbeek and conceivably biases public opinion against him. I think an apology should be posted to your readers and to the young man who’s been unfairly condemned.

Sincerely,

Percy, I have emailed already - but at this precise moment I'm playing catch-up on all the threads since deviating away from here (damn that sleep thing). So I'll paste it up later when I'm zipping through 100+ threads..

Eh - here's mine:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Re: http://www.pottstownmercury.com/site...id=18041&rfi=6

I recently read the above article and was somewhat unsurprised to find myself reading what strongly appears to be an opinion on the guilt of the “alleged” rapist and the innocence of the “alleged” false accuser. You may note the manner in which this article has been written is hardly worthy of publishing due to its extraordinary assumptions by the author.

Currently we only know a few facts, such as an allegation has been made of rape and the accused believes that prior false allegations against other men may help to prove his innocence. And yet, reading the article, it is implied that she is already a victim – without any substantiation to that fact, which further implies the accused man is guilty. This article almost reads as pure propaganda.

I often see news groups insisting they tell stories as they happen and without bias – yet whenever we hear of a rape “allegation” it seems the accused is guilty long before he reaches trial, thanks to the media’s propaganda tactics. This article is one such demonstration of the unreasonable manipulation of society the media engages in.

I sincerely hope that your team can have the decency to apologise to the accused man, for implying his guilt. Somehow, I doubt it.

Regards,

Quote from Percy

My email to the Editor, copied to the reporter.

Dear Editor
An article in your newspaper “Man wants rape victim's alleged past accusations revealed”
written by your reporter Carl Hessler Jr.,on the10/08/2008, implies that the woman is a ‘victim’ and has been raped.
This has yet to be demonstrated.
It is a claim on her part seemingly without any witness and based only on her word and the man is innocent until proven guilty, surely.
By reporting in this manner the man’s reputation is besmirched by the assumption of guilt made by your reporter.
That the man is out on bail would indicate that the authorities have little grounds in evidence to hold him.
It is shoddy reporting such as this that adds fuel to the hysteria about rape reports and adds further damage to the Justice system and the reputation of men in general.
The accused man deserves an apology at the very least for your reporter’s presumtuousness and prejudice.
This same mindless and automatic assumption of male-guilt is endemic and happens here in Australia too but the incidence of reporters and newspapers acting as Judge and Jury, without hearing evidence is being noted by men worldwide.
Yours sincerely (and angrily)
(The Great and Vengeful Percy, who will NOT HAVE IT !! )

If I was that way inclined Percy I think I'd want your babies! I especially love the last part. I'll be sending my own wee email post haste!

Here is mine:


Dear Editor,
The article by Mr. Hessler entitled Man wants rape victim's alleged past accusations revealed is just another example of the misandry men face every day, especially in the media. The title itself is egregiously prejudicial. It coldly calls the accused a rapist by calling the accuser a “rape victim” and refers to the accuser’s past allegations as “alleged.“ BUT THERE HAS BEEN NO TRIAL YET! Your paper has adjudicated Mr. VanDerbeek to be guilty and part of his defense testimony to be spurious. Your paper is not representative of unbiased news. It is blatant propaganda.
Furthermore, the term “alleged” is used 13 times to protect the woman’s credibility and only ONE time to protect the man’s credibility. That is outrageous! Your paper is pure anti-male propaganda.
Finally, naming the defendant only is prejudicial. Allowing the ALLEGED “victim” to remain anonymous is prejudicial to the case. The not-so- subtle statement is that the accused is guilty and should be exposed to public scrutiny and the accuser is truthful and must be protected as a “victim.” What happens when the man is found to be innocent and therefore is the REAL victim and the woman is found to be lying and is therefore the REAL culprit? The man has already been labeled by you the media as a “rapist”. That label, thanks to propagandists such as yourselves, will be with him for the rest of his life. Will the woman, when found to have lied, be subjected to the same media scrutiny, let alone imprisoned and put on a sex offender registry? While the law may prevent you from naming the accuser, it does not require you to name the accused. That is your choice.
Your newspaper, to use the term loosely, really needs to establish some moral and professional standards.

Sincerely,

******

Folks,
I was amazed when I went back and reread the article as to just how biased it really was. I originally was outraged just by the title and didn't read the article too carefully. But in writing my complaint letter, I decided to more thoroughly examine the article, especially for the use of the term "allegedly" and it's derivative terms. I was astounded when I tallied up the number of uses to protect her (13) and him (1). Disgusting!

Certainly a worthy observation that I had missed (13x v 1x). Well spotted batman!

To whom it may concern,

The article written by Carl Hessler Jr published on the 10th of August entitled 'Man wants rape victim's alleged past accusations revealed' is another example of anti-male propaganda leaking through the media on a daily basis. The title itself implies that the alleged rapist is guilty and the woman involved is the indisputable victim even though the trial had not begun yet. The reporter also made a point of protecting her credibility by labelling the woman's past allegations as 'alleged' but at the same time neglecting to do the same for the accused; this is not what I call an unbiased point of view. The entire allegation is based on her own word, there were no witnesses and there is no evidence to support her claim yet the reporter still twisted language to distort the view of those reading it against the accused VanDerbeek. It is this kind of reporting which perpetuates the negative stereotypes and bias against men in society as a whole and Mr VanDerbeek, at the very least, deserves an apology for your reporter's prejudice.

As long as this bias goes on in the media, the automatically assumed guilt of accused men will undoubtedly skew the justice system against men even more. The media is a powerful tool and social movements such as feminism have been using it to incite hatred against their target group for many years. Don't let them carry on with this injustice against basic human freedoms.

Yours sincerely,

Feels like something is missing.

You may have to see the disparity highlighted in order for the extent of it to sink in. I have highlighted the use of "alleged" and its derivatives in favor of the man in red and in favor of the woman in purple.

The new tally is:
Him Her
5* 12

*Two of the uses were direct quotes and two were a paraphrase of the defense attorney. Thus, only one use originated from the reporter.




Man wants rape victim's alleged past accusations revealed
By Carl Hessler Jr., chessler@pottsmerc.com
10/08/2008

READING — A Telford man accused of raping a Lower Pottsgrove woman and fellow Kutztown University student alleges the woman previously made similar unsubstantiated accusations against two other students and he wants to present that as trial evidence.

t

James VanDerbeek, 19, through his lawyer Maureen C. Coggins, alleged in court papers that evidence of the woman's alleged prior false accusations against other students tends to prove that she fabricated the most recent sexual assault claim against VanDerbeek.

"The defense in this case is that the complainant fabricated the accusations against (VanDerbeek) and engaged in consensual sex without force or compulsion," Coggins wrote in a document filed in Berks County Court. "The defense proposes to introduce evidence that complainant made unsubstantiated accusations of rape against two Kutztown students five months prior to the present allegation."

Coggins alleged the woman's false allegations in October 2007 are "strikingly similar" to the accusations she made against VanDerbeek.

In the petition, Coggins lists numerous alleged similarities between the woman's accusations against VanDerbeek and the accusations she allegedly made against two other students - including assertions that the accuser never struggled or called out for help and that she voluntarily consumed alcohol with each of the men in dorm rooms or at campus apartments just prior to the alleged sexual encounters.


Court documents filed by Coggins implied the woman did not report the two other alleged incidents to police, but rather made reports to friends or to the accused.

"In one of the prior accusations, complainant admitted to two people the morning after the incident, that she 'had made up the whole thing' and that the accusation 'was a joke and everyone was blowing it out of proportion,'" Coggins alleged in the court document.

Coggins, a former Montgomery County prosecutor, argued the state's Rape Shield Law does not prevent a defendant from introducing evidence of a woman's history of false rape or sexual assault allegations.

Coggins, in court papers, maintained testimony about the woman's prior alleged accusations is relevant to VanDerbeek's defense because "it tends to make more likely the possibility that the alleged victim falsely accused (VanDerbeek) of sexual abuse."

VanDerbeek, a 2007 graduate of Souderton Area High School, is awaiting trial on charges of rape, aggravated indecent assault and sexual assault in connection with the alleged March 24 incident inside the Lower Pottsgrove woman's dorm room at the university.

VanDerbeek, who remains free on bail, has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Coggins also has asked a Berks County judge to dismiss the charges against VanDerbeek, alleging that a Kutztown University police officer shredded VanDerbeek's initial statement to authorities, preventing VanDerbeek the chance to present a complete defense.

VanDerbeek's initial statement, Coggins alleged, contained information that would exonerate VanDerbeek, including a "detailed fact specific explanation of the consensual sex that occurred that night."

A hearing on Coggins's requests could occur later this month in a Berks courtroom.


©The Mercury 2008


Is the paper using "alleged" for the woman because it is afraid of being sued by an anonymous person? They have no qualms about disparaging a man whose name they share with the public, though.

Wey-hey, I had a reply from one of 'em.


From: Eileen Faust [mailto:efaust@pottsmerc.com]
Sent: 10 October 2008 22:40
To: 'Marx'
Subject: RE: http://www.pottstownmercury.com/site...id=18041&rfi=6

Yeah, I’m thinking this is a group or something.

Eileen Faust
Online Editor
The Mercury
www.pottsmerc.com
efaust@pottsmerc.com
610-323-3000 x176


To which I replied,

Hello Eileen,

Whether or not it is a group (not sure what that would imply?), it does not change the fact that the article is extremely biased and clearly implying guilt on one of the involved individuals and implying credibility to the other. See?

So, can I expect to see a written apology for the blatant bias to the gentleman who ‘stars’ in the pertinent article – or are you too cowardly for such a brave movement?


Regards,

And further yet...

From: Eileen Faust [mailto:efaust@pottsmerc.com]
Sent: 10 October 2008 22:51
To: 'Marx'
Subject: RE: http://www.pottstownmercury.com/site...id=18041&rfi=6

If the charges are dropped we will write about that.

Eileen Faust
Online Editor
The Mercury
www.pottsmerc.com
efaust@pottsmerc.com
610-323-3000 x176


To which I responded,

Naturally, painting him as a rapist who ‘got away with it’, no doubt?

I am keen to know why you would employ such a bias nature in your articles? Surely, reporters have morals and decency, don’t they?

I realise women are practically perfect in the laughable world of feminism – but to ram that attitude down the public’s throats via the media is very unethical.

Regards,