The Patriot-News' straightforward "just the facts" approach to breaking the story of a grand jury investigation into allegations that Jerry Sandusky molested multiple male minors earned a well-deserved Pulitzer.
Jan Murphy and Bob Flounders, the two reporters, crafted a compelling set of facts with minimal cooperation from authorities. The institutions where Sandusky coached football and raised money wanted to deep six this story. The reporters combed through police files and reached out to the alleged victims' parents, school administrators and legal authorities. Although brief, the story must've taken months to research.
To break a story of this magnitude requires extensive fact checking and corroboration from multiple sources. The simple but irrefutable recitation of facts hits hard by what it doesn't say. Why were authorities so evasive? Why was the can kicked down the road? The reader can deduce that Sandusky's power and fame immunized him for years. This enabled him to prey on young boys with a sense of invincibility.
Striking, tragic irony that Sandusky titled his autobiography "Touched: The Jerry Sandusky Story." The interim superintendent of school's description of a victim's allegations as "strictly a touching type of situation" echo the touchy title. I bet the reporters intended this ironic reference. The story contained another implicit irony - Sandusky's Second Mile charity was building a facility to include housing for 100 children. Could some of these children have ended up being Sandusky's future victims?
This story bears remarkable parallels to the still-breaking story of the former USC Medical School Dean's drug abuse and the measures USC took to cover it up.
Personal Note: While a deputy attorney general, I worked on two cases involving male athletic coaches who molested young boys on their teams. The coach/player relationship presents an opportunity for molesters to cultivate and prey on young victims seeking recognition and approval. I find crimes involving this type of subversion of trust and exploitation to be the most disgusting and disturbing of all.
Jan Murphy and Bob Flounders, the two reporters, crafted a compelling set of facts with minimal cooperation from authorities. The institutions where Sandusky coached football and raised money wanted to deep six this story. The reporters combed through police files and reached out to the alleged victims' parents, school administrators and legal authorities. Although brief, the story must've taken months to research.
To break a story of this magnitude requires extensive fact checking and corroboration from multiple sources. The simple but irrefutable recitation of facts hits hard by what it doesn't say. Why were authorities so evasive? Why was the can kicked down the road? The reader can deduce that Sandusky's power and fame immunized him for years. This enabled him to prey on young boys with a sense of invincibility.
Striking, tragic irony that Sandusky titled his autobiography "Touched: The Jerry Sandusky Story." The interim superintendent of school's description of a victim's allegations as "strictly a touching type of situation" echo the touchy title. I bet the reporters intended this ironic reference. The story contained another implicit irony - Sandusky's Second Mile charity was building a facility to include housing for 100 children. Could some of these children have ended up being Sandusky's future victims?
This story bears remarkable parallels to the still-breaking story of the former USC Medical School Dean's drug abuse and the measures USC took to cover it up.
Personal Note: While a deputy attorney general, I worked on two cases involving male athletic coaches who molested young boys on their teams. The coach/player relationship presents an opportunity for molesters to cultivate and prey on young victims seeking recognition and approval. I find crimes involving this type of subversion of trust and exploitation to be the most disgusting and disturbing of all.
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