The Bernstein Brief: Derrick Rose Rape Case Demands Coverage
By Dan Bernstein--
CBSChicago.com senior columnist
(CBS) Is it the fact that it's a civil procedure and not a criminal one? The endless troubling details? Or is is the fact that the plaintiff from the start was too easily dismissed as just a shady opportunist?
Whatever the reason, the best coverage so far of the Derrick Rose gang-rape suit has been by decidedly non-mainstream sources. Diligent work has been done by reporters at ThinkProgress.com, lawyer Daniel Wallach and 670 The Score's Julie DiCaro, but there has been little attention paid by national outlets.
Not to mention that Rose plays for the New York Knicks after being traded from Chicago, and the case takes place in Los Angeles, which is his primary residence. That's all of the top three media markets in the nation, and still we have just dribs and drabs of information from reams of documents and hours of sworn testimony.
There's some genuinely awful stuff uncovered already, even before the actual trial that's set to begin Oct. 4. Even not yet knowing the level of liability determined, there are enough undisputed facts and confirmations on the record to permanently change much of the conversation about Rose.
We still hear of the tough Chicago kid and all the sweet family time he wants to spend with his four-year-old son.
When he's not busy arranging and allegedly forcing unwanted group sex on an unconscious woman, as accused. We deserve to know more.
Dan Bernstein is a co-host of 670 The Score's "Boers and Bernstein Show" in afternoon drive. You can follow him on Twitter @dan_bernstein and read more of his columns here.
