Rumor killers find something savory instead
We can’t have freedom without truth. And truth’s greatest enemies — lies fueled by hatred, fear and anger — aren’t showing signs of going away.
An exercise in the quest for truth, the path that we assert leads to freedom, was played out earlier this week in an exchange between a Press letter writer and the editor. It went something like this.
The reader submitted a letter about a shocking Twin Falls case involving three young males and a 5-year-old girl with mental disabilities. Early reports on conspiracy websites and anti-Muslim blogs stated the males were Muslim; that they were Syrian refugees; that they wielded knives; and that they gang-raped the child (at least one site said the girl was murdered). A couple of those assumptions were included in the letter to The Press, and the writer wondered why this case wasn’t receiving greater attention from local and other media.
The editor quickly researched the issue and found several reputable news sources refuting the most incendiary claims, including this statement:
“There were no Syrians involved, there was no knife involved, there was no gang-rape,” said Twin Falls County Prosecutor Grant Loebs.
The Press editor took that June 20 report and told the letter writer that the story was bogus.
Well, not so fast. The letter writer came back with a June 26 column by Matt Christensen, editor of the Twin Falls newspaper. According to Christensen, the court case is sealed so actual facts aren’t easy to come by. However, he wrote that investigators have released several details:
• The boys are 7, 10 and 14.
• The older boys (the 14-year-old recorded this on his cellphone) coached the 7-year-old boy and 5-year-old girl to commit a sex act — an act authorities aren’t describing but they are saying does not constitute rape.
• The refugee status of the boys isn’t clear, but the youngest boy is from Iraq and the eldest is Sudanese.
• The religions of the boys are unknown; investigators say there’s no evidence that the act was motivated by religious beliefs or customs. Authorities said the false information was being spread online by factions hoping to incite anti-refugee sentiments, and last Friday the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boise issued a statement warning people to refrain from speculating on the case. The statement said local authorities are investigating and properly pursuing justice.
The search for truth brought both The Press letter writer and the editor a little closer to it. The key was sharing information from reputable sources and communicating openly and respectfully.
“It appears we have both been correct and incorrect regarding this story but I’ve enjoyed the communication,” the letter writer concluded.
That’s not just a nice closing to a new reader-editor friendship. It’s a prescription for defending freedom itself.