Sunday, February 26, 2012

Lockyer Suspect's Name:
In the Oakland Trib, Omitted from SF Chron


What's with the SF Chronicle's conservative political writers Phil Matier, pictured right, and Andy Ross, pictured left, withholding a known fact, the name of the suspect, in their coverage of the case of Alameda Supervisor Nadia Lockyer allegedly suffering an assault by a former boyfriend earlier this month?

Matier and Ross have followed the travails of Lockyer's many personal and political problems, including substance abuse leading her to check-in at a rehab facility, but kept the ex-boyfriend's out of their columns. Why omit a basic fact? They say: "[W]e're not naming [him] because he has not been arrested in the case."

OK, whatever. If you want the truth about the alleged assailant's identity, head on over to the Oakland Tribune:

Stephen Chikhani, the man Nadia Lockyer is accusing of attacking her, denied her account. He told the Oakland Tribune that the only truths were "that I have a record and that they were separated. ... Pretty much everything else was made up by her husband." The 35-year-old San Jose man has not been charged.

Wow, imagine that. A newspaper giving readers as much of the known facts as possible including the man's name. The Chronicle might want to get around to reporting Chikhani's identity, and say it was first written up in the Tribune across the bay.

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