Duke boosters begin PR push

Duke University refuses to let one scandal tarnish their image.

A small group of boosters and others close to the Duke University lacrosse team have hired President Clinton's former lawyer, Bob Bennett, as part of an aggressive public relations effort to argue that the players did not rape a woman at an off-campus party.

Bennett is serving as a spokesman for a group calling itself the Committee for Fairness to Duke Families.

I think this aggressive effort in the face of insult shows how important the press has become in recent years. Because of the 24-hour news cycle and the Internet, a story that may have been a minor local scandal have received intense national scrutiny, analysis from political pundits, and columns from columnists and bloggers alike.

Ten years ago, there would have been no need for committees for fairness. The Duke community knew if they didn't take action, they effects of this scandal would be irrevocable.