60 Minutes: “The Duke Rape Case”

In one of his final 60 Minutes reports, correspondent Ed Bradley tackles the complex, racially charged case of three white Duke University lacrosse players accused of raping an African-American exotic dancer at a team party. Through exclusive interviews with the three players and with the other woman who danced at the party that night, Bradley and his producers unsnarl conflicting testimony and reveal botched police procedures and potentially unethical behavior by the district attorney of Durham, N.C. While some other media outlets ran with what could be perceived as the politically correct version of the case, 60 Minutes, provided a comprehensive examination of the facts without sensationalizing or editorializing. For illuminating inconsistent testimony and dubious law-enforcement tactics, thus raising the most serious questions retarding a prosecutorial rush to judgment, a Peabody goes to 60 Minutes: The Duke Rape Case.