Al Gore, Credibility & the Media

[mystieus]

Run time: 02:44 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmfP1i4RSDE   Posted on YouTube: July 19, 2010 By YouTube Member: lauraflanders Views on YouTube: 8   Posted on DU: July 19, 2010 By DU Member: mystieus Views on DU: 935

 
Nearly a month ago, the National Enquirer broke the news that a massage therapist in Oregon claimed to have been sexually assaulted by Al Gore. Since then, the media has snickered, rolled its eyes, and steadfastly refused to report the story. Instead, they've trotted out excuses in Gore's defense, often treating it as a simple choice between defending Gore's integrity or indulging in a base appetite for celebrity scandal, as if there wasn't a real possibility that a real 54-year-old woman had suffered a very real and violent assault.

[monmouth]

1. Thought I read she failed numerous lie detector tests and has a

rep for "fantastic" stories. Sorry, don't remember where I read it...maybe the Enquirer...

[Jackpine Radical]

2. Meanwhile the victim was.further traumatized

By the experience of failing a lie detector test, having her alleged semen sample turn out to be nonexistent, and by having it discovered that she has made similar unfounded claims about others in the past.

My God, hasn't the poor woman suffered enough?

[Radical Activist]

3. Maybe if there weren't a complete lack of evidence,

holes in her story, and her apparent lack of interest in justice until there was an obvious financial motive then maybe the rest of the media would have given it more attention. It already has more coverage than it deserves.

The general points being made are fine, but the Al Gore story is a very poor example to use. Should we send the message that a persons life can be completely destroyed without evidence or any burden of proof simply because one person makes an accusation? Why not just bring out the scarlet R for rapist and force Gore to wear it everywhere he goes?

[Bitwit1234]

4. This person who suffered in your words has according to investigation

by the press who "snickered", has filed numerous such cases against celebrities and those in office. They have listened to her and she rants, doesn't make any sense and is said to be a little bit mental. The pants she wanted tested were, the DNA did not.....did not....did not...match Al Gore.

I myself think Gore is very forgiving not to file charges against her, her lawyer and the National Enquirer for what has turned out to be AND PROVEN FALSE.

But of course other than the whole story laid out in a Portland paper the media such as Fox hasn't said a word about Gore's innocence. That this woman file a lawsuit, as she did in her other numerous false cases trying to get some money. I think people should be very careful before presenting stories to the public that they have been researched and have been proven true AND IN THIS CASE ARE PATENTLY FALSE.

[goclark]

5. Excellent ~

[greenman3610]

6. Gore accuser fails lie detector

http://www.kptv.com/yourvote/24263736/detail.html


PORTLAND, Ore. -- A masseuse who accused former Vice President Al Gore of groping and kissing her at a downtown hotel in 2006 failed a lie detector test and had a history of falsely accusing people of mistreating her, according to a report in this week's Portland Tribune newspaper.
Tribune editors said they found out about Molly Hagerty's sex abuse allegation against Gore 3 ½ years ago, but they didn't print an article because the newspaper's reporters thought her story lacked credibility.
The National Enquirer first reported the story last month and detailed Hagerty's accusations that Gore made unwanted sexual contact at Hotel Lucia in Portland.
Tribune editor Mark Garber said Hagerty's lawyer asked her to take a lie detector test and she failed, but that wasn't the reason they didn't print the story. He said the newspaper reporters' "personal interaction" with Hagerty raised red flags.
"We became concerned throughout dozens and dozens of conversations that she had with another editor and the reporter," Garber said. "They both became concerned about credibility issues as it relates to her story."
Hagerty told the National Enquirer recently that she had Gore's DNA saved on a pair of slacks. But this week's Tribune report said DNA tests showed there was no semen at all on the pants.
"What she told us about the pants was that she had had them tested and the test showed it did not contain Al Gore's semen," Garber said.
Tribune reporters and editors said they also questioned Hagerty's recollection of the alleged events, which contributed to their decision to not run the story.
"We still feel comfortable with the decisions that we made (not to run the story), although our decision is sort of irrelevant now to see that the allegations are out there anyway," Garber said.
Earlier this month, police said they reopened the Gore case because there should have been a decision made in 2009 at the command level on whether the investigation should go forward. That is when Hagerty came to officers with a prepared statement.
"It is our responsibility to both parties involved to conduct a thorough, fair and timely investigation," Portland Police Chief Mike Reese said July 1.
Detectives refused to give details about the ongoing investigation.
A spokeswoman for Gore's family said Gore has denied the allegation from the beginning and he continues to stand by that denial.

[EC]

7. Why was this posted here,

when the charge has been PROVEN false?

[fascisthunter]

8. why should we believe anything she says?

[Jumping John]

10. I don't know. She seems to have a chip on her

shoulder.

""""About Jaclyn

Jaclyn Friedman is a queer Jewish writer, performer, and activist, and the editor of the hit book Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and a World Without Rape (one of Publishers' Weekly's Top 100 Books of 2009).

As an undergraduate, Jaclyn though she was too smart to become a victim of sexual assault - until another student proved her wrong. That experience eventually led her to become a student and instructor of IMPACT safety training. At IMPACT, she helped bring safety skills to the communities which most need them, including gang-involved high school students and women transitioning out of abusive relationships.

In addition to her leadership work at IMPACT, Jaclyn performed nationally in the Yellow Dress, a one-woman show about dating violence. Through the project, she facilitated frank discussions and trainings about relationship safety with high school and college students, as well as their teachers and counselors, in groups as small as 10 and as large as 400.

Jaclyn's article "Drinking and Rape: Let's Wise Up About It," originally published by Women's eNews in February 2007, was reprinted in several major online outlets and has become a popular reference for new thinking about preventing rape without shaming or blaming women. The article - and the public repsonse to it - was the inspiration for Yes Means Yes""""

http://www.jaclynfriedman.com/aboutjaclyn.html

[modestybl]

9. This story has hardly been ignored...

... it was investigated over two years ago and dismissed for
reasons that are now becoming obvious. The other side of this
story, as in the saga of Paula Jones, there are situations
where the accusers have ulterior motives, which may nontheless
do political damage to the accused. More long-term, women like
this masseuse erode the credibility of women who are real
victims.

There is still a presumption of innocence, and you bet that
I'm going to want to see some credible evidence before I
believe a story like this. That isn't an excuse. Why do we
want to want to be knee-jerk against men in these situations?

[Merlot]

11. Although she has a point about sexual violence being denied, in this case

I think she's off base. The media DID do an investigation, the "victim" was seen to be not credible in their investigation.

She lost me when she called Gore a "lefty." Not very impartial.