Channel 9's Sorry Record of Ignoring Due Process

Of all the news operations covering the Tonya Craft case, WTVC, Channel 9, stood alone in its utter badness. In fact, the coverage was SO bad that Holly "Thumbs Up" Kittle has included this rogue PR operation for corrupt prosecutors as one of her "likes."

One of the reasons I despise Channel 9 so much is that when it comes to people accused of child molestation, there NEVER even is the possibility of a false claim. Furthermore, there is no presumption of innocence at 9, just guilt, guilt, guilt. Its February 19, 2010, coverage of the arrest of James Combs is especially bad, although nothing will sink to the low level that 9 achieved with Tonya Craft, even after the trial was over.

I include the entire article, written by Karen Zatkulak, as from beginning to end, because it is just atrocious and guilt-assuming and shamefully so (my comments in bold):

A man is charged with child molestation while he's substitute teaching. We got the report that confirms the incident took place at an elementary school. (Yes, an accusation means that there definitely was molestation.) This report says James Combs was inside this school, teaching as a substitute, when 2 children say he touched them in a sexual manner.

Parents like Brianna Campbell are not just shocked but disturbed that a man trusted inside the classroom has now spent time inside jail. She says, "Surprising because they hire the teachers to teach not to hurt the kids." (Yes, after people are arrested, they usually are taken to jail. However, there is no "alleged" here. Channel 9 is spreading hysteria among parents, just as our vaunted news team did when it sent reporters to Tonya's neighborhood to scream, "CHILD MOLESTER!!!")

James Combs is charged with child molestation at Boynton Elementary School, leaving Campbell worried about her little ones. "It bothers me, but you still have to send your kids to school and hope and pray they come home okay."

We got the report from the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office. It says two children reported that Combs had touched them in a sexual manner. We wanted to know more about the young victims (How do we know they are victims? Again, Channel 9 assumes guilt.) and exactly when and how this happened, but were told Sheriff Phil Summers was the only one to answer those questions and was unavailable.

We also went to Combs' address to hear his side of the story, but no one was home. The school system did confirm that Combs was a substitute teacher when this happened.

Superintendent Denia Reese says, "James Combs completed the application process to be a substitute in our county, we did a GBI background check and FBI background check and they all came back clear." (Now, this is interesting. Here is a guy who never had been accused of any crimes before, who also passed an extensive investigation in order to be able to adopt two girls from overseas. Does not this raise questions to our Good People at Channel 9 about Mr. Combs' character, and that maybe, just maybe, these charges are fishy?)

Reese says immediately after they received the parent's complaint, they called the Sheriff's Office. "Mr. Combs was then immediately removed from the substitute list."

Campbell is glad that Combs is facing charges, but says she's still worried about the other students and the victims. "You are putting your kids lives and trust in the school system and when they break that trust it's hard to get back." (Why does Campbell get to be an accuser here? Do you think that Campbell would like to be falsely accused? Why does Channel 9 take her for an expert?)

While 2 children reported the misconduct, this report says Combs faces one count of child molestation.

We will be working to get more information, and will pass it on as soon as it's available.

In reading this story, I am utterly amazed at the outright evil that it represents. According to Darrell Patterson's employer, an accusation is proof of guilt, period, especially if it involves child molestation.

Having taught at Rossville Junior High School for a couple years, I have experience with some of the people from that area, and I can say that there were some students who (along with their parents -- and especially their mothers) would be anxious to make a false charge against a teacher. In fact, the only reason that we did not see any of these charges get momentum was that the LMJC had not yet discovered the riches that could be mined from Mondale Act money.

Notice that Channel 9 really made no effort to find out what happened. It just ran the official PR from the LMJC, interviewed a guilt-assuming parent of another child, and then presented it as "news."

I will say up front that I am convinced that James Combs is innocent of these charges, and that this is yet another perjury-filled action from Perjury Central itself, the LMJC. Since the LMJC and Channel 9 are at war with innocent and good people, I will officially say that I am at war with them. They can try to destroy innocent people -- and generally are successful at it -- but I will fight for James Combs and his family just as I fought for Tonya Craft. From everything I can tell, he is a good and decent man, and if Buzz Franklin, "judge" Brian Outhouse, and Alan "Wannabe a Criminal Like Facebook and The Man" Norton are going to try to railroad him into prison, I hope that the good people of the community will show that this is evil.

What is going on in the LMJC is not right. It is illegal and immoral. That Channel 9 continues to run PR for such corrupt people is proof enough to me that it no longer is a news operation. Instead, it consists of people who kiss the posteriors of corrupt liars, and then repeats the lies as "news."