This discussion took place at 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 4, 2006, and is now closed.

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Moderator: Samiha will be joining us shortly. Thanks for your patience.

Moderator: A reader writes: "Why was the alleged victim granted anonymity in your interview? I understand the policy of not identifying alleged victims of sexual assault, but that is different than letting them make their accusations publicly behind a veil of secrecy. Particularly absent any criminal charges. I doubt you would have let a lacrosse team member make accusations against the victim anonymously, as a protected source. Or would you have allowed that?"

SK: This is an issue that we discussed at length among the top editors of the newspaper. Being that we had given members of the lacrosse team, their parents, and leaders in the athletic department an opportunity to address these allegations, we had a responsibility to give the alleged victim the opportunity to tell her story as well.

In interviewing her anonymously, we were careful to weigh each statement she made on the position that it might allow her to speak more freely than if she used her name. Therefore, we were careful not to allow her to make wide-spread allegations of any kind. The only part of her story that was different than what police had already released was the racial aspect. We were able to use the statements she made about racist terms being shouted at her because that was corroborated by other sources -- people who gave their names -- who heard the same thing.

Moderator: Where does the case stand at the moment?

SK: The DNA samples taken from 46 members of the Duke men's lacrosse team are supposed to be processed and returned this week. The public, however, won't be aware of these test results -- the Durham district attorney is not planning to make them public. The results of the tests may only be addressed if and when the DA files charges. Meanwhile, the men's lacrosse players are still assembling their team of lawyers. I think this week will be a waiting game.

Moderator: Do you think the national attention this case has received has affected the pace or quality of the investigation in any way?

SK: The national attention to this case certainly has caused Durham's District Attorney Mike Nifong to speak more widely about this case. That has actually helped the flow of information, as certain details have been made public that might not have surfaced so soon had the case not been receiving the same attention. Whether this will affect the integrity of the case -- that we'll have to wait and see. The fact that more people are watching certainly increases the pressure. I think the national attention has also brought more people out of the woodwork and can possibly offer more information. If this ever goes to court, it's going to be hard, though, to find jurors who don't know at least something about this case.

Moderator: Douglass D. writes: "I am a member of the Duke Class of 1980. I've been following the lacrosse incident in the N&O as well as the Duke Chronicle. The opinion piece by Tim Tyson is Sunday's Q section appealed to me because of its candid look back at ugly history. There is also an ugly history of sexism and sexual abuse at Duke; I remember being disgusted by it as an undergraduate from 1975 to 1980. My questions are these: In your judgement as a news reporter, are both sides of this incident's ugly flashbacks to racism and sexism being explored by the community including the Duke campus and the Triangle community at large? With respect to Tim Tyson's piece in Q, have you seen an equivalent column in any local media -- in the N&O or elsewhere -- discussing the history of sexism and sexual abuse at Duke?"

SK: I think Tim Tyson taught readers Sunday about a history not many were aware had occurred. Durham is a place of many new residents, people who may not have the institutional knowledge of the university's history in the community. We are trying to explore these notions as we follow up on the story in the coming weeks. In response to your specific question about Mr. Tyson's piece--I haven't seen an equivalent piece in other publications. Many people have spoken out about a history of sex crimes on college campuses, but not issues of race and gender on the Duke campus specifically. These are keys to thorough follow-up stories that we are working to document.

Moderator: Jerome D. writes: "Why hasn't the victim picked the 3 players who are alleged to have raped her, out of a picture lineup and why haven't the police arrested them?"

SK: Whether the accuser has chosen photos out of a lineup is a detail that remains close to the investigation -- something that may not be wholly confirmed until much later. There haven't been arrests because, the police and the DA say, they are taking their time to conduct a thorough investigation. The DA said last week he anticipates making arrests as soon as next week. They say they are waiting to make arrests until the DNA results come back.

Moderator: Douglass D. replies: "Re your response on finding jurors, for those of us not in the know, what rules does NC have to venue cases out of the originating county? In my state, they can usually be venued only to neighboring counties -- which hardly solves the problem in this case. Can the case be venued far away from the Triangle?"

SK: That question might best be answered by our courts reporter. (Editors note: Courts reporter Benjamin Niolet responds: "I wouldn't want to speculate on whether a judge would decide to move the case out of the jurisdiction. I would point out that the Mike Peterson murder trial drew quite a lot of national and regional publicity. And authorities still determined in that case that the trial could be held in Durham. I have to say though that no charges have been filed and we are a long way from decisions such as where a trial would be held.")

Moderator: What sort of feedback have you been receiving from readers?

SK: We have received a mix of feedback from people all over the country, who are concerned about the implications of this case for the university, for the young men being accused, and for the victim. Most of the emails are positive comments on our coverage. Many offer prayers and words of encouragement to the woman who says she was raped. Some discredit her for her profession, and question whether the allegations are true. Most comments I, personally, have received attack the way the university and the team have handled the situation. Others have been emails from some of these players' hometowns, offering insight on their behavior before they got to Duke.

Moderator: Thanks, Samiha. We're out of time.