The Star-Ledger's Cracked Crystal Ball

by: Steven Hart

Fri Aug 18, 2006 at 11:48:08 AM EDT

You could almost hear the television networks scream in relief as the JonBenet Ramsey murder case reappeared, just in time to spare them the ordeal of covering actual news. It'll be AllDay JonBenet for the rest of the month -- what else would you expect?

But it's sad to see real newspapers join in the bottom-feeder frenzy, and particularly sad to see the Star-Ledger giving big play on its Web site to this grossly underreported and under-edited story about a crank from Nutley who did a "psychic sketch" of the murderer. This sketch, posted next to a photo of the man who just confessed to the killing, convinces me of nothing beyond the fact that this "psychic" -- who died in 1998 -- found a way to tap into the budgets of various police departments. (The Star-Ledger story says she bills only for "expenses," content to leave it at that. Expenses for what -- crystal ball maintenance?)

Steven Hart :: The Star-Ledger's Cracked Crystal Ball

Too bad the reporter and editors who worked on the story weren't similarly curious:

Over the years, the Nutley housewife used her gifts to assist on thousands of cases with law enforcement in New Jersey and elsewhere. She also worked with the FBI, Secret Service, Royal Mounted Police in Canada and authorities in Mexico, Switzerland, Ireland, France and England.
She claimed to have helped find more than 250 bodies and led police in the right direction in the Patty Hearst kidnapping, the Son of Sam murders, and John Wayne Gacy's serial killings.

What, she couldn't locate Jimmy Hoffa while she was at it? And couldn't the Star-Ledger locate someone other than the late psychic's husband to back up the claim that she had helped run down everyone from the Symbionese Liberation Army to Son of Sam? I realize it's August, guys, but come on -- try a little harder, okay?

Cross posted at The Opinion Mill.

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The Star-Ledger's Cracked Crystal Ball | 2 comments

steven... (0.00 / 0)

...this needed to be said and i am glad you did it 'cuz i didn't wanna have to contemplate it all any more than i had too.

you are spot on with the analysis, the thrust of which just sickens me.

a silver lining must be that the blogosphre has a chance to fill the void created by the MSM. so while they're out there chasing fluff and blood and gore and stuff, we can train our eyes (and keyboards) on more substantative issues like politics. and project runway.

activist for hire.