Democracy Has Prevailed.

May 30, 2012

Um...A Question For Mark Madden

I've been wondering this for some time.  And this story brought it front and center this morning:
Jerry Sandusky attended a closed-door meeting with the judge in his child sexual abuse case Tuesday, and four of his accusers made formal requests for anonymity, a day before what could be the final hearing before the start of trial.

The topic of the previously unannounced meeting -- which included Sandusky's lawyer and prosecutors -- wasn't clear, and participants declined to comment afterward.

Judge John Cleland has not ruled on a pending defense request to have charges dismissed. Jury selection from a pool of State College-area residents is expected to begin June 5.

Sandusky, 68, a retired assistant football coach at Penn State, faces 52 criminal counts. Prosecutors say he sexually abused 10 boys over 15 years, allegations he has repeatedly denied.
And so on.

What I've been wondering about this story:
In April, Pittsburgh radio host Mark Madden wrote a story revealing Penn State for much of the cover-up of Jerry Sandusky's alleged child rape that has been exposed in the past week. While it didn't raise many eyebrows back then, six months later it looks to be incredibly accurate.

On Thursday morning, just hours after legendary head coach Joe Paterno and university president Graham Spanier were fired by the school's board of trustees, Madden was asked on WEEI's The Dennis and Callahan Show what he believes the next piece of news will be.

What he said was twice as shocking as anything that's been released thus far.

"I can give you a rumor and I can give you something I think might happen," Madden told John Dennis and Gerry Callahan. "I hear there's a rumor that there will be a more shocking development from the Second Mile Foundation -- and hold on to your stomachs, boys, this is gross, I will use the only language I can -- that Jerry Sandusky and Second Mile were pimping out young boys to rich donors. That was being investigated by two prominent columnists even as I speak."

After the news spread, Madden later explained via Twitter why he went public with the rumors.

"I normally abhor giving RUMORS credence," Madden wrote. "But whole Sandusky scandal started out as a RUMOR. It gets deeper and more disgusting all the time. One of state's top columnists investigating. That adds credence. I am NOT rumor's original source. [Why does] Sandusky deserve benefit of doubt?"
What ever happened to that story, Mark? That RUMOR you helped spread?

I mean, here's the finding of facts from the Grand Jury investigating the serial raping.  Where's the mention of the pimping?

Have you ever corrected yourself in public on this, Mark?  I haven't found it.  Have you ever explained why your pimping story never got any traction?

By the way, this is not about Jerry Sandusky.  What he's alleged to have done is beyond reprehensible.

But this is about you, Mark.  Either your "sources" were playing you, feeding you info that wasn't solid or you were just making it up.  In either case, your "credibility" (whatever's left of it) should have taken a hit on this.

All that being said, why is Mark Madden still on the air?

1 comment:

Mark Rauterkus said...

Smashing! Wonderful job in spreading the rumor even further. Golly brilliant.