It appears that the old journalism format that I learned in Junior High School no longer requires factual answers as long as the ends justify the means …

• Who did that?
• What happened?
• Where did it take place?
• When did it take place?
• Why did that happen?
• How did it happen?

It appears that the progressive socialist democrats in charge of most educational institutions believe that the narrative may deviate from the truth as long as it illustrates the lack of diversity, equity, justice, and social responsibility.

I could not believe that a well-educated, well-respected, and well-spoken Dean of Journalism would abandon her journalistic ethics and tell an outright lie in a newspaper of general circulation. Did she not know that there are reporters who would seek the truth and electronic recording devices to capture reality? Or did her attempts at self-aggrandizement to place herself in the forefront of the civil rights battle overcome her decency and commonsense?  

Dorothy Bland is the dean of the Frank W. and Sue Mayborn School of Journalism and the director for the Frank W. Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism at the University of North Texas. As a high-ranking school official in charge of instructing journalism students, one would believe that creating a false tale – a lie – to drive a social narrative should be severely punished.

Dorothy Bland: I was caught ‘walking while black.’

Flashing lights and sirens from a police vehicle interrupted a routine Saturday morning walk in my golf-course community in Corinth.

I often walk about 3 miles near daybreak as part of my daily exercise. However, on Oct. 24, I delayed my walk until late morning as I waited for the rain to stop. I was dressed in a gray hooded “Boston” sweatshirt, black leggings, white socks, plus black-and-white Nike running shoes. Like most African-Americans, I am familiar with the phrase “driving while black,” but was I really being stopped for walking on the street in my own neighborhood?

Yes. In the words of Sal Ruibal, “Walking while black is a crime in many jurisdictions. May God have mercy on our nation.”

Knowing that the police officers are typically armed with guns and are a lot bigger than my 5 feet, 4 inches, I had no interest in my life’s story playing out like Trayvon Martin’s death. I stopped and asked the two officers if there was a problem; I don’t remember getting a decent answer before one of the officers asked me where I lived and for identification.

For anyone who doesn’t think racial profiling happens, I can assure you it does happen. For a sanity check, I stopped by the mayor’s house and asked him, “Do I look like a criminal?” Mayor Bill Heidemann said no and shook his head in disbelief. I appreciate the mayor being a good neighbor, but why should he need to verify that I am not a menace to society?

I refuse to let this incident ruin my life. As I was finishing my walk and listening to Urban Praise radio, I encountered an elderly white woman who asked if I would like some roses. She gave me a half-dozen roses. It was a random act of kindness and that’s why I call Janet Herbison of Gemini Peach and Rose Farm in Denton a good Samaritan. That evening I had dinner with neighbors.

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A touching story of insensitive police officers harassing law-abiding citizens; except it is not a tale truthfully told.

Here is the encounter from the perspective of the Police Dash-Cam …

As you can see: no flashing lights, no sirens, only officer professionalism and concern for a citizen who has been caught violating the law. Clearly a safety issue.

Note the apparent animosity begin to show when she claims she “was stopped for walking” and then starts documenting the encounter with pictures of the police officers.

Bottom line …

Once again, a black person attempts to exploit an innocuous police encounter into a self-aggrandizing tale of racial persecution, profiling, and the possibility of sudden death at the hands of bigoted police officers. Had it not been for the Dash-Cam footage, these officers may have faced official actions as it was a high-ranking school official that was complaining.

This type of narrative is as false as the Trayvon Martin case where a black thug – previously found with stolen jewelry from a home burglary – attacked a Neighborhood Watch Captain who did everything right by phoning in the encounter; and who used a legal firearm to defend himself against grievous bodily injury. The Neighborhood Watch Captain was acquitted by a jury of all changes.

This type of narrative is as false as the Michael Brown case where a black thug – having just committed a strong-arm theft – viciously attacked a police officer and attempted to secure the officer’s weapon. The officer was acquitted of all charges by a grand jury. And the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” slogan was proven to be a false meme.

This type of narrative is as false as the mainstream media counting righteous shootings of criminals as black deaths at the hands of police, while ignoring the fact that blacks are slaughtering other blacks every week in the inner cities governed by progressives and their restrictive gun regulations. Regulations that conveniently overlook the commonsense observation that criminals and crazies do not abide by existing laws, and in most cases, do not fear the consequences of their actions.

Yes, there are cases where rogue officers illegally and egregiously injure or kill citizens. Some police are racists. But, looking at the greater statistics, these encounters are statistically negligible given our population. That it is tragic for the family of the deceased is undeniable, as is the fact that many of these families seek to exploit the situation to reap a large government payout from cowardly politicians who refuse to stand up for the truth.

I am outraged that we allow people like Dean Bland to corrupt our future generations, often by denying students and dissenters their academic freedom to have their voices heard without repercussions.

If anything, the University should bring the Dean up on charges of violating academic standards and for bringing dishonor on the institution. The specific charge: lying while black. At least she should apologize to the newspaper who printed her tripe, the police officers who were implicitly libeled, and to the public for being a disgraceful example of a journalism teacher. Perhaps there is a place for her at MSNBC where her nonsense will blend in with the background bashing of anything not impoverished or of color.

We are so screwed.

-- steve