NH’s Major News Sources Are Betraying The Public

Over the last several weeks, the Granite Eagle has published numerous reports and opinion pieces focused on the rampant number of lawsuits associated with former residents of the Youth Development Center (YDC). We have made our stance clear. We will relentlessly report on and investigate the suspicious accusations that local news outlets have highly publicized. We will ask the tough questions. And we will not cave to pressure.

Since our YDC columns have been published, we have been overwhelmed with feedback from countless NH citizens. The majority of people we have heard from have thanked us for our reporting and appreciated us speaking up for those that have already been found guilty in the public’s eye, before they even went to trial.

Since the initial stories of abuse at YDC broke, the coverage in the local and national news has been immense. The allegations of the victims were highly publicized and all of the major news outlets in New Hampshire have sided with the alleged victims. The stories of abuse are gut wrenching and hard to comprehend. They certainly make for very compelling news stories.

Just a few weeks ago, WMUR conducted an interview with several of the alleged victims, each who described the horrid abuse they experienced at the hands of former YDC staff. WMUR also released an interview with John Broderick, former Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court, after he left his post as administrator of the Youth Development Center Fund. Broderick claimed the victims of alleged abuse at the YDC and other state-run facilities may never receive justice after he claims that he was forced out of his position.

What I find most interesting about the stories being published by NH news sources is that not one single news outlet has covered the other side of the story. Not one NH news outlet has interviewed former YDC staff members. Not one NH news outlet has questioned the ludicrous accusations being made by the alleged victims. It’s all one sided.

I was informed that numerous Granite Eagle readers proactively reached out to WMUR and begged them to report on the potential fraud taking place. People asked WMUR to host a debate between myself and David Vicinanzo, an attorney who represented many of the alleged abuse victims and has posted unprofessional and derogatory statements in the comments section of our YDC columns. WMUR either did not respond to the multiple requests or forcefully told people they would not cover the story.

I also personally reached out to WMUR requesting that they host a sit down discussion with myself and Attorney Vicinanzo. It should come as no surprise that they never responded to or even acknowledged my request. 

The citizens of New Hampshire deserve better. WMUR is considered to be a “trusted news source” by many people in New Hampshire. The truth is, they are not. They are a biased news organization who is purposely influencing public opinion by covering only one side of the YDC story. They refuse to report ethically and they are doing a disservice to everyone in New Hampshire. 

I don't expect anyone at WMUR to acknowledge or respond. They simply don’t have the journalistic ethics you would expect a trusted news source to have. If anyone from WMUR has the courage to report on, or at the very least, publicly answer the following questions, a long list of people would sincerely appreciate it. It’s your job. Do the right thing.

• Why did every single one of the alleged victims wait 20+ years to make a claim?

• How is it possible for a jury to find someone guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, when the only evidence is the victim’s testimony and one person’s word versus another? Is someone’s verbal allegation really considered “guilty beyond a reasonable doubt”?

• Why did thousands of alleged victims come forward after the $100 million fund was established and not before?

• How is it possible that there was not one single YDC staff member who blew the whistle and reported the alleged rampant physical and sexual abuse taking place at YDC?

• How is it possible that not one single news outlet asked any of these questions or diligently investigated the allegations?

• How is it possible for 11 former YDC staff members to be arrested and have their lives ruined based on nothing but a person’s word?

• Why hasn’t the credibility of the claimants been aggressively vetted?

Chris Thompson’s (christhompsnh@gmail.com) column is published weekly on www.graniteeaglepress.com and www.howiecarrshow.com