The Conspiracist
The reactions and attitudes of the local news people and news programs over the Steven Avery Case are interesting. There are comments and questions from these folks that have me believing that they take the shallow view of the case and evidence.
I understand that there are deadlines involved, finite time available, and limited space in newsprint or the half‑hour newscasts.
But, that isn’t any excuse for the tilting of news nor is it an excuse for quick labels.
Sympathy for the Halbach family is understandable. There is a tragic basis for the charges and trial. I have sympathy for the Halbachs. I also have sympathy for the Averys. They have suffered hardship and loss and are facing the possible loss of a son, brother, uncle.
Some will have a need to assign points for losses and then award sympathy in a winner take all fashion, I won’t argue the point. I will still have sympathy for both families.
I can see this winner take all attitude shaping the attitudes of those who purport to be unbiased presenters of news. I’ll pick out an interesting observation from one of the trial wags.
John Lee works for the Post~Crescent, a Gannett chain newspaper, based in Appleton, WI. He has a blog covering his experiences and opinion of the trial.
In one of his entries, he commented on the defense witness list noting a “Sheila Barry [sic]” listed and referred to her as a “conspiracist.” Lee went on to alter Berry’s statement of a possible Halbach sighting as “…saying she has seen Teresa Halbach alive…” which is an interesting twist or a double twist if you will.
Berry has a website dedicated to wrongful convictions. There are enough of those for all of us to be concerned. There is no need to delve into conspiracy theory to deal with the problem. Often, wrongful convictions are due to incompetence, people pleasing, or the simple results of being a member of a community.
My observation of many events labeled conspiracies is they might appear as such on the surface, but it is group action that stifles dissent and open mindedness.
I have studied the Attorney General’s memo on the wrongful conviction of Steven Avery. The report did not address the responsibility of the leadership in forcing the investigation and prosecution down a completely wrong path.
I can observe that the attitude of the Manitowoc County Sheriff in November, 2005 was very much like the sheriff during the earlier Avery investigation. The comments before start of the search at the Avery Salvage Yard drives the point that rush to judgment was the preferred way of thinking in Sheriff’s Department.
And, that attitude shaped the investigation. Special Agent Tom Fassbender emailed Sherry Culhane at the Wisconsin Crime Lab and stated he wanted Halbach’s DNA identified in Avery’s home and garage. The email was sent in November, 2005.
Ii might look like a conspiracy. But, this normal operation for too many investigations.
I have studied the Brendan Dassey confession via court documents. The actions of Investigator Mark Wiegert and Fassbender could approach some kind of conspiracy. The purpose of the confession was to place Halbach in the Avery buildings; explain anomalous evidence; and base a search warrant to obtain that missing DNA.
As I looked at the confession and its circumstances, I became more suspicious of its validity. Testimony in the Avery trial has demonstrated how faulty the method and purpose of obtaining the confession was.
But, news organizations in this area either cannot observe the reality of the situation, or they are too involved in certainty of guilt.
As for me. I’d rather be a “conspiracist.” The expense and turmoil of imprisonment of the innocent are too great for me to join the establishment is good crowd.
by Brian McCorkle
in category Rants,Steven Avery
