agingrebel.com
Texas television station KWTX ran a libelous story last night.
Waco celebrity and self-described
journalist Rissa Shaw reported that she had exclusively “obtained
classified information about a secret meeting that recently took place
between biker gangs which led to confidential law enforcement memos
about possible hits on officers stemming from 2015’s deadly biker brawl.
“According to multiple sources with
direct knowledge of the situation, within the last two weeks, memos were
sent to several local law enforcement agencies about a meeting between
two top biker groups – the Bandidos and the Outlaws – seeking revenge
against police.”
“The DPS, (Texas Department of Public
Safety) the Waco Police Department, the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office
and several judges” have confirmed to Shaw that there are ”credible”
threats “that the Bandidos and the Outlaws were attempting to hire
Bolivian nationals to carry out three hits on officers: Two in Waco, and
one in Florida.”
Shaw also reports that she “attempted to
make contact with both the Bandidos and the Outlaws through their
websites, but had not heard back as of Thursday night.”
No Meeting
Friday morning The Aging Rebel
contacted Bill Morian, club counsel for the Bandidos Motorcycle Club for
comment on Shaw’s story. Morian uneqivacably denied that there had been
a meeting of high ranking members of the Bandidos and the American
Outlaws Association within the last month.
The assertion that the two clubs met to
plot the assassination of three policemen in two states is both
ludicrous and irresponsible. Shaw appears to have simply made the story
up. Not a single source in the report is attributed.
At the bottom of her report, below the inframammary accusations, she states, “A spokesman for the DA’s office told KWTX Thursday they know nothing about these memos or threats.
Reporters often make similar accusation
against motorcycle clubs. Generally, news outlets are allowed to report
even flamboyant lies if a court finds they made a good faith effort to
report the truth and they correct their inaccuracies as soon as they
become aware of them.
There are exceptions. In 2011 the Vagps
Motorcyle club, represented by Los Angeles attorney Joe Yanny,
successfully sued officials in Riverside County, California for damages
resulting from slanderous statements made by those officials. In
general, the only absolute defense against libel is that disputed
statement is provably true.
As of 10:30 Pacific Time, KWTX has not corrected or retracted its story.
