Big week in reportingland

Fake sexual assaults and swine flu. That's what WSU's been known for so far this year. Well, that ... and really really bad football.

Although I feel like a misery profiteer when I say this, bad news is good news. At least for me. Since I am a student journalist and both of these stories went down basically right in front of me. So cheers for weak strains of influenza with catchy names and attention starved young women with active imaginations.

I don't think the whole journalism thing is really for me but it sure is an intoxicating brew, for sure. I've always admired the kind of people who cut right through the bullshit. And as it happens many of those people happen to be journalists (Helen Thomas, Edward Murrow, Woodward and Bernstein – as cliche as that sounds).

But there's no money in it and my philosophy on the whole human race really isn't that positive; so I figure why should I do it any favors?

Anyway, here's some of the more compelling documents I dug up when reporting on the WSU fake assaults story I posted yesterday for The Daily Evergreen. It's pretty good reading. Enjoy!

This is the first page of the first assault report filed on Aug. 19. Of note is the part where Officer Kelly Stewart records her bruising.

This is Stewart's report from his follow up with Girl 1 on Aug. 20, the first woman make the assault allegation. This is the report that records some pretty inconsistent bruising with the details of her story.

This is an e-mail Girl 1 sent to WSU Police on Aug. 21, two days after the first attack and a day after she claimed to have seen her attacker twice on the previous night. In it she apologizes for "not being timely and accurate."

This is a page from the report filed on the Aug. 24. In it Girl 1 confesses to making the third attack up. But she maintained the first was legitimate until Aug. 26.

And lastly, Girl 1's written confession from Aug. 26. Here's page 1. Here's page 2.

If you want to read the story, here's a link.