A read of the Herald-Sun, especially its op/ed pages, is like a trip to an alternative universe. If I can stifle my disbelief-turning-to-distaste, I am amused in unexpected ways.

So I bring you the paper’s August 29 editorial: “City next target in lacrosse case.” C’mon. When the city of Durham is cast as the victim, you know it’s gonna be good.

In a nutshell, the Duke lacrosse players have contacted hard-hitting lawyers to sue the city for violation of their civil rights. This largely stems from the infamous April 4 photo line-up. This line-up was approved up-and-down by police officials; it was not a random event. It violated Durham PD policy and ensured that Crystal Mangum could not give a wrong answer. It also seems that it was the linchpin of the three players’ indictments.

Durham’s insurance company has told it to shut up already about damaging information. That means its committee investigating the Durham PD will likely grind to a halt. Otherwise, Durham might have its liability coverage pulled.

So here’s the Herald-Sun‘s interpretation (italics my own):

Now the students and their families have retained
some of the highest profile lawyers in the nation to punish the city
and its Police Department.”

“We can wish, in retrospect, that someone inside
the department had stood up and screamed that the lineup was wrong and
the case was a sham, but that didn’t happen.”

“We may also wish that the players would refrain from demanding a huge
settlement that will only hurt Durham taxpayers who played no part
in
putting them through what, admittedly, was a long nightmare. But the
players appear to have a case, and they certainly have every right to
pursue it.”

So obviously the good guy in the situation is, uh, the Durham PD?
And the bad guys are the lacrosse players? For having the gall to file
a lawsuit after the Durham PD helped nearly ruin their lives? For having their basic rights violated in the first place?

I’m not quite sure. As often happens, this may only make sense in the newsroom of the Herald-Sun.