Local Reporter Negatively Impacts Victim's Impact Statement

[XLFD]

Cheryl Higginson (above) has had a long career spanning several decades as a local writer and a journalist which makes one wonder how she could make such a rookie mistake as she did last week.  Higginson has been covering news from the courtroom for the Ludington Daily News (aka the COLDNews) so one would have to believe that her coverage of the sentencing of a CSC case would be empathetic and sympathetic to the victim whose statement helped our circuit court judge decide on a sentence of 8-60 years in prison for the offender.  Here was Cheryl's article printed in the Wednesday, October 27th newspaper: 

If one was not in the courtroom, did not have access to the court transcript, or did not have any connection with the victim, they would likely not know that reporter Cheryl Higginson had not only embellished the story, she created a new narrative and claimed that the victim said something she did not even come close to saying.  

The Ludington Torch has gained access to the complete transcript of the impact statement made by the victim of William Buchanan's villainy.  Except for an introductory sentence containing her name, the full statement is reproduced below:

"I was 29 when I became a victim of CSC. I was the type of girl who would always say it would never happen to me. I was smart, never went out alone, didn't leave alone if I could help it. I always let someone know when I got home, so naturally, it didn't take long for people to realize something was wrong the night of March 23rd 2019.

But for me, it took a few hours into the 24th to understand what happened to me. I'll never know the truth. The extent of things. What actually happened, or why? I still learn just how this affects me. The nightmares may have stopped, but they do creep up now and then. Or the sudden remembrance of how my daughter and I would sleep in the living room entirely ready to run incase you would happen to show up.

I had camera's installed outside and inside my apartment. I had a fear, of leaving my work at night, and if I had to walk home the anxiety would be crippling to where I would wait as long as I could and ask anyone I could to walk with me. My town no longer felt safe, but more importantly, my life no longer felt safe. I was terrified working with the public, because I felt at any given moment I could turn around and you would be there.

Once I got word about the police furthering their investigation, my doctor told me I needed to take a break from working and gave me a referral to therapy. This was the start of COVID, and doctors and therapists were and still are hard to come by.

425 days your words echoed in my head. Where you told me nothing happened with you and I. Where you told me multiple different stories. Your girlfriend messaging me. Your friends harassing my fiancée for standing up for me and supporting me. Those same friends harassing my family. You told me "stop drinking, then no ones gotta take care of ya." When that was the furthest from the truth.

You continued to lie, even after you knew I was hurt. I told you I was bleeding, and you said you saw nothing. When I mentioned I remembered nothing, I didn't deserve to know the truth. 425 days, I didn't know your role in any of this...

And then the DNA came back. I struggled, a lot. I struggled with the realization that my friend would do this to me. That he could contribute to wrecking me. That YOU had no problem ruining me and lying about it. But you weren't the only one. You had no problem watching someone else hurt me as well. My friendships suffered, I pushed every single one away. But my family became strong, and I found love in a mutual friend, and my family grew.

I finally decided I was ready to work again and in July I got a job at a place that I love, doing what I love. I am still looking for that therapist, but I know I will find one I click with eventually. And now, 947 days later, I hope to get a little closure. Regain a part of my life back and hopefully become the outgoing and bubbly person I once was, the life of the party, because I haven't seen her since that day."

You will notice that there is no part of the statement that mentions anything about pregnancy, yet Higginson goes out of her way to print that this victim said a direct quote:  "Then I found out I was pregnant.  When I went for DNA testing I couldn't believe it.  My friend [the convicted felon] had made me pregnant."

But this is fake news.  The victim was not impregnated by Buchanan, so not only is this woman mortified that others who read the local newspaper may think this is the truth, but that her daughter will be perceived by others throughout her life as being the byproduct of this monster through his vile sin.  

Naturally, the suffering victim was upset with having herself and her child victimized once again by seasoned journalist, Cheryl Higginson.  The woman contacted the LDN and received some consolation from the managing editor, David Bossick.  He would explain that the author was notified of the mistake and apologized to him for the error.  He would remove the incorrect quotes from the online story and printed a retraction in yesterday's newspaper, a week after the story was printed.  It stated:

Sadly, even though the newspaper was given the full impact statement that the victim made in the case, they still propagated the false narrative that there was a comment made on pregnancy, and the retraction only serves to maintain a perception that the convict was the father, and that the pregnancy may have happened through a consensual encounter with him.  If this was the editors attempt at 'getting it straight', it was a dismal failure.

And this is only because experienced court writer, Cheryl Higginson, failed to use well-established standards in quoting a source.  Consequently, it has made life more difficult for the crime victim and effectively victimized that victim's daughter due to the journalistic malpractice.  Cheryl Higginson needs to own up to this mistake by formally apologizing to the victim in a letter to the editor for making up that very hurtful and untrue quote and assuring the public that any such mistake will never happen again in her writing efforts. 

[Willy]

This story slipped by me. I was busy checking into and commenting on the other topics. Again, very well done X. Helping to cover and explain what is going on has helped out many people around Mason County. Thanks.

I agree, the reporter should admit the error and put it in writing so the record can be set straight. God only knows what else she has gotten wrong while doing her job. Cheryl Higginson must do this not only for the people involved but also for her own reputation. Who's going to believe the next news story she reports if she doesn't come clean on this one.

[XLFD]

Without absolving her bonehead error, Cheryl Higginson made a mistake in inferring from what was said a narrative that didn't exist, that can happen to any journalist if they're not careful.  She compounded that error by putting words that were never said into her inference, as if that was exactly what the victim said in her impact statement.  

That part of it was less forgivable, and deeply unprofessional.  To my knowledge, Cheryl still hasn't done the classy thing to do and send the victim her own heartfelt apology for getting it wrong and causing more victimization to occur to a woman and her baby.