So much for journalistic integrity...

----------
NOTE: the following post is based on correspendence that I, the author of this blog, have been having with a person living in Winchester, KY. The thoughts and opinions expressed are that of the original author and not necessarily my own. The article has been modified to protect the identity of the original author.
----------
The mayor of Winchester, KY has indicated that CNN paid the $5000 bail for William Poole. Outlandish isn't the half of it. As journalism ethics go, it's pretty pathetic. Of course, the original article that WLEX published was pretty lacking in balance as well -- the journalism class used it to study poor reporting. Journalism is supposed to represent all side[s] of an issue, and that article didn't. In about fifteen minutes a bunch of high school journalism students could pick out the week points and what would have balanced the article instead of setting people off on this frenzy.

The violent threats by Poole are from a family member source but not Poole. He was also following schoolbuses earlier this week (that is firsthand from people on the buses) and met his sister (one of the people that he's not supposed to go around because she was named in his writings) at the school bus stop this morning (that's from another kid at the bus stop who knows him). That same source, who knows his grandparents, says that they told her about some of Poole's issues. According to what they told her (she lives two doors down from the grandparents and is close to his grandmother) Poole is a schizophrenic who does not like to take his medication and when he is not on medication he is prone to violence, which is why he's so often in trouble. She's also the one who shared the threats against his grandparents. Poole's cousin talked to a student at GRCHS about the threats to take people out with him and the specific plans of setting three people outside to shoot people running out and take the foyer for himself.

A student was called out to his counselor's office this last week. When he came back he was shaken up. He's one of the kids that Poole tried to recruit who has talked to the police. Poole has learned that he talked to the police and has threatened him. The police called his mother to let him know and his mother called the school counselor about it. He's agreed to be interviewed anonymously for the school newspaper.
----------
I have written an email to Mayor Dodd Dixon of Winchester, KY asking for a confirmation that he did indeed claim that CNN bailed William Poole out of Jail.

Mayor Dodd Dixon,

I am writing to you in order to confirm reports of a recent press release concerning William Poole. The student from George Rogers Clark High School is apparently out on bail. My question is, did you in fact release a statement claiming that CNN (Cable News Network) posted the $5,000 bail amount for the release of Mr. Poole?

Let's see if the Mayor's office responds.