From Duke Lacrosse To Trevor Bauer: The Media's Disgusting Failures | David Hookstead

Trevor Bauer is the latest proof the media is on the fast-track to proving it prefers Stalin's version of justice over innocent until proven guilty.

The former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher was banished to play in Japan after Lindsey Hill accused him sexual assault with downright graphic details.

Hill accused Bauer of choking her to the point of losing consciousness, battering her face with bruises and a swollen lip and possibly fracturing her skull.

The former MLB pitcher maintained from the start the two had consensual sex, and he hadn't attacked her at all. However, the lies had spread long before Bauer ever had the chance to clear her name.

Trevor Bauer appears to be the victim of a frame job to accuse him of sexual assault. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

Trevor Bauer clears his name after allegations of sexual assault.

There was no proof Hill had a fractured skull, a video she filmed in bed with Bauer presumably after having sex didn't show any damage to her face. Hill claimed in an interview with Alex Stein the injuries simply hadn't appeared four hours after she claimed Bauer hit her.

Texts later released by the pitcher after settling a lawsuit showed a massive alleged plot by Hill to get Bauer to choke her and get his money.

She even described Bauer as her "next victim" in the shocking text messages. It certainly appears Trevor Bauer was the victim of an elaborate hoax. It appears to be nothing more than a frame job from Hill, and possibly those she was texting with.

Did the media hit the brakes and do any due diligence when Hill's allegations first surfaced? Not at all. Bauer was guilty like a political opponent of Joseph Stalin in a show trial orchestrated by the NKVD during the great purges in the Soviet Union.

The truth didn't matter, and the goal wasn't finding it. The goal was ruining Trevor Bauer, and why not do it? He was the perfect target. A rich privileged white man, and there's no kind of person the media likes tearing down more.

Don't take my word for it. History speaks for itself, and you can tie it all back to the Duke lacrosse case.

Duke lacrosse was a warning nobody seems to have paid attention to.

One of the greatest examples of the disgusting nature of the media in my lifetime is the Duke lacrosse case.

The Blue Devils lacrosse team faced allegations of gang raping a woman named Crystal Mangum, who was later convicted of second-degree murder, during a March 13, 2006 house party.

The season was suspended, the coach lost his job and David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann were arrested and charged with rape. The verdict in the public court was delivered before the evidence could even be presented:

A team or young white men from affluent backgrounds had gang raped a black stripper, and they should rot in hell for it.

Don't take my word for it. Below is an actual headline from the situation. It's not about raising any questions or speculation about the idea an entire lacrosse team could have helped facilitate the gang rape of a woman. It was about how the suspects were rich and from the suburbs of New York City.

The Duke lacrosse case is an example of the media's incredible irresponsibility. (Credit: https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2006/apr/19/duke-defendants-from-affluent-backgrounds/)

A Duke professor even lectured in a class featuring lacrosse players how it was an indisputable fact some sexual contact had occurred and a condom had been used.

There was just one problem for the media, school officials and members of the criminal just system who vowed to get justice.

There had been no rape. Nothing had happened to Crystal Mangum. She wasn't raped or harmed in any way. The evidence had been cooked up. It was a horrific situation and downright evil.

As David Evans said at the time, "I am absolutely innocent of all charges brought against me. You have all been told some fantastic lies. I look forward to seeing them unravel." Fantastic lies, indeed, and they didn't just come from Crystal Mangum.

District attorney Mike Nifong behaved in a fashion that, once again, would have made Stalin's NKVD proud. He was ready to cook the books to send three completely innocent people to prison for life.

Nifong served one day in jail for lying and hiding evidence that cleared the Duke players. He should have sat for years for the evil he attempted to pull off.

Nothing has changed with the media since the Duke lacrosse scandal.

Here we are 17 years later, and nothing has been learned. In a just society, the brakes would have been slammed after the Duke situation, and the media would re-evaluate how it handles serious allegations. Yet, that's not what is happening.

In fact, somehow, the media and society in general has learned absolutely nothing. The media loves destroying people. It gets off on the idea it can wield ultimate power as judge, jury and executioner. Despite never facing criminal charges and clearly being caught up in a scam, the media still ruined Trevor Bauer's life.

There are also several examples outside of just Duke lacrosse and Bauer that prove just how far off the rails the media and society have gotten.

Duke volleyball player Rachel Richardson claimed BYU students shouted racial slurs at her during a match against the Cougars. There was no proof of such an incident occurring, video never picked up anything and police never heard a single thing said. Furthermore, nobody in the crowd appeared to ever react to a racial slur being shouted, which we all know would have happened.

Do we all remember what happened shortly after Richardson's claim? Before any due diligence could be done, the story took off like wildfire. Despite there being literally not one shred of proof Richardson's claims were true, Jay Bilas still defended Richardson, and South Carolina canceled a basketball series against BYU.

A hoax destroyed the reputation of BYU students, and the media couldn't eat it up fast enough. Why? Because BYU students, again, are easy targets.

There were even puff pieces on outlets like "Good Morning America" and CNN running with Richardson's story.

A single moment of thinking would have told any person that the story required some scrutiny. The media didn't care, of course. The juice was simply too good. A mostly white, religious crowd targeted a black athlete with racial slurs. The perfect story for the outrage cycle - whether true or not.

Matt Araiza is another cautionary case.

Another outstanding example of the media's bloodlust is that of Matt Araiza. The former Buffalo Bills punter was cut when he was accused of sexual assault. His reputation was destroyed and his NFL career is probably over.

Yet, it was another example of a false accusation that wasn't true and ruined a life. What did the media do? Ran with it as always. Araiza was portrayed as a violent criminal who savagely attacked a woman at an SDSU house party. The allegations were repeated without a second thought.

Below is an actual headline from Deadspin.

The argument made is that white men in leadership roles apparently don't do enough to stop grave situations.

The article states, in part, the following:

Their names wouldn’t have dominated recent headlines if the decision-makers in both situations were proactive instead of reactive. But, given the circumstances around both instances, it’s easy to understand why what happened, happened.
Men in power — and usually the white ones — will always choose the option of saying something after the fact — instead of during — when something racist is taking place, in the same way, that the men who run the NFL will overlook the allegations against a talented player until outside pressure forces them to do something.

Yes, Deadspin was fired up that the Bills and BYU didn't do enough, despite both situations not even being what was actually alleged and reported.

Araiza doesn't deny having sex with a woman at the house party, but it was proven he was never even there when the allegation of alleged sexual assault occurred.

Should he have engaged in risky promiscuous sex with a woman he didn't know? Probably not, but that's a far-cry from rape.

Yet, it doesn't matter. Araiza needed to be destroyed no matter what the truth was, and the media, per usual, did its job to perfection. Araiza's recourse? Not much other than to sue his accuser, not settle and hope for the best, which he made clear during an interview with OutKick is the plan.

"The damage has been done. And if I was to settle, that would waive my right to countersue. So, at this point, we're the heavy favorite, and continuing this any longer is going to be very damaging for them. So, I'm not willing to settle," Araiza told Tomi Lahren after being cleared.

Society and the media must slam it in reverse.

The United States of America is a free society. You're supposed to be totally and completely viewed as innocent until proven otherwise in court. Instead of living by that standard, we've sacrificed innocent until proven guilty for "believe all victims" and the #MeToo movement.

Trevor Bauer, Duke lacrosse, Johnny Depp and others have faced down the barrels of the media facing an onslaught not even the truth can protect them from.

Going back even further, look at what the media did to 1996 Olympics hero Richard Jewell. The man saved lives, but because he was fat, mildly pathetic and an easy target, his life was ruined when media outlets started running with the claim the FBI thought he might have been the bomber. He died a few years later after fighting to clear his name.

Richard Jewell was falsely painted as possibly being the bomber at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. (Photo credit: DOUG COLLIER/AFP via Getty Images)

America is speeding down a dangerous and dark path. Society is speeding towards a society where feelings and emotions dictate decisions instead of facts, and the media is to blame more than anything else. Emotional headlines drive reactions, and nothing whips people up into a frenzy more than a privileged white person becoming the enemy.

Kyle Rittenhouse, who was acquitted in the most famous murder case of the past decade, shot people attacking him, but the corporate press ran with the idea he was a villain. President Joe Biden painted him as a white supremacist. It was disgusting and repulsive, and as far as I know, Biden never apologized.

We, as a society, have to slam the brakes. We have to get back to not believing everything we're told, and the media has to get back to doing its job of finding the facts and not assassinating the character of people with glee.

The warning signs were ignored after Richard Jewell, the warning signs were ignored after Duke lacrosse, the warning signs were ignored with Kyle Rittenhouse and the warning signs were ignored with the BYU race hoax. Let's not ignore the warning signs following what happened to Trevor Bauer.

Stop and think for yourself and demand a better job from the media. If not, the kangaroo courts of the Soviet Union under Stalin's rule will look favorable to what will be awaiting the accused in America.