LISTINGS |  EDITOR'S PICKS |  NEWS |  MUSIC |  MOVIES |  DINING |  LIFE |  ARTS |  REC ROOM |  THE BEST |  CLASSIFIED

The Herald forgets about the alleged Marshfield massacre plot

Lost Boys  
November 29, 2006 6:53:28 PM


Joe Nee, right

Remember Toby Kerns? What about Joe Nee?

Two years ago — when Kerns and Nee were charged with planning a Columbine-style massacre at Marshfield High School — both teenagers were all over the papers. Kerns was the first one arrested: he, we learned in the pages of the Globe and Herald, was an “outcast” who wore a trench coat (natch), was once treated at McLean Hospital for suicidal tendencies, and suffered post-traumatic stress disorder due to abuse by his estranged mother.

Nee, the son of Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association president Tom Nee, was arrested and charged a few weeks after Kerns. He was an “outcast” too — one who allegedly bragged about making napalm bombs, had a troubled relationship with his father, crashed with Kerns’s family after being thrown out of his own house, and later gave police the tip (with two other kids) that led to Kerns’s arrest.

In October 2004, when the frenzy over the alleged plot was at its height, both dailies ran a dozen stories on the subject. But then it fell off the map. That November, the Globe reported that Kerns and Nee had pled not guilty, and ran a second story synopsizing police interviews in the case. The Herald, meanwhile, said nothing. In January 2005, the Globe ran three stories, including one each on Kerns’s and Nee’s release on bail; the Herald limited itself to one item on Nee going home.

Fast forward to November 2006. In the past 22 months, the Globe has done due diligence in occasionally reminding its readers of the allegations against Nee and Kerns. Most notably, on October 20, 2006 — the day Kerns’s trial concluded — the paper reported that Kerns had blamed the plot on Nee and two other students, Dan Farley and Joseph Sullivan, who were granted immunity in the case. (Judge Louis Coffin has yet to issue a verdict.) And the Herald? Bizarrely, the tabloid hasn’t mentioned the alleged Marshfield plot once since February 2005.

What’s going on here? Chalk it up, in part, to a sharp decline in the story’s interest value. When Kerns and Nee embodied every parent’s worst nightmare, the story made for great reading. But as the air seeped out of the story (among other things, the tip that led to Kerns’s arrest may have been prompted by a dispute over a girl), it’s become far less compelling. Plus, if ongoing coverage is not that useful to the relatively staid Globe, it’s even less valuable to the sensationalistic Herald.
What’s more, covering Kerns’s just-concluded trial in Brockton would have meant reporting the defense’s claims about Nee, whose own trial is still pending. And that, in turn, could have hurt the Herald’s relationship with Tom Nee — Joe Nee’s father — and compromised the paper’s ability to scoop the Globe on crime stories.

In fairness to the Herald, the paper has far fewer editorial resources than the Globe to devote to coverage on any given day. Still, since the tabloid helped drive the story when it was fresh and salacious, it would be nice if it could provide just a little closure as it winds down. The Herald ought to send a reporter to cover Joe Nee’s trial when it finally starts. And when the verdict comes in on Toby Kerns, it should be in the paper.

COMMENTS

I have one theory about why the Herald and Globe haven't covered the story of the Marshfield massacre plot well since the dust has cleared. As a former resident of Marshfield, I followed the story through the coverage provided by the south shore daily, The Patriot Ledger. Shamus McGillicuddy was the town reporter for the Ledger at the time, and he led the coverage day-in and day-out. As an avid follower of the local media, I was struck continually by how the Herald and the Globe followed his lead stories for the Ledger (not to mention the local TV coverage). Mr. McGillicuddy no longer writes for the Ledger, and I can't help but think his lead on the story has revealed how little the Globe and (particularly) the Herald cover the south shore (outside of special Sunday sections). So, kudos to the Ledger and to Mr. McGillicuddy for their coverage. And I agree that it is odd that the Globe and Herald have dropped off this story. Very relavent. And local news. Not to mention that, at the time, the story was picked up nationally. I haven't followed the Ledger's coverage since Mr. McGillicuddy left the paper but I suspect it's declined since then too.

POSTED BY kmac445 AT 12/01/06 2:26 AM
Thanks for the nice comment, kmac, but let me add that the Ledger hasn't missed a beat since Shamus left. We've had 18 significant stories on the plot since March, including eight on page 1. The case is in a lull right now while the Supreme Judicial Court considers a motion by the prosecution. Shamus was a great reporter and we miss him, but turnover is a fact of life in this business. John Zaremba and other staffers have upheld the high standard he set. This was our story from the beginning and it will be ours till the end. Ken Johnson City editor

POSTED BY Ken Johnson AT 12/01/06 5:54 AM
Thank you for this article and asking why the Herald and the Globe forgot about this story!!! It's been over two years since this story broke. Our judicial system is broken if we can try a 16 year old as a youthful offender. Who appears to be the only student who's father got him help! Possibly facing 40 years in jail because of a fight over a girl!!!!! Every parent in the country should be outraged! An easy answer to such a serious charge! Maybe the real hard questions are too hard to ask? How did this happen????? dissiItp//spe.atdmt.com/ds/cjcntcingcbr/retail_boston_holiday/map_300x250_30k_v02.swf?ver=1&clicktag1=//clk.atdmt.com/go/cnocccbr0620000057cnt/direct;wi.300;hi.250;ai.18618612;ct.1/01&clicktag=//clk.atdmt.com/go/cnocccbr0620000057cnt/direct;wi.300;hi.250;ai.18618612;ct.1/01olice association)It seemed like the obvious questions were not asked! It has been two years since the story broke. Toby Kerns age 16 was tried by the procecution as a youthful offender. Which16//spe.atdmt.com/ds/cjcntcingcbr/retail_boston_holiday/map_300x250_30k_v02.swf?ver=1&clicktag1=//clk.atdmt.com/go/cnocccbr0620000057cnt/direct;wi.300;hi.250;ai.18618612;ct.1/01&clicktag=//clk.atdmt.com/go/cnocccbr0620000057cnt/direct;wi.300;hi.250;ai.18618612;ct.1/01

POSTED BY Marshfield AT 12/10/06 12:44 PM

Login to add comments to this article
Email

Password




Register Now  |   Lost password

MOST POPULAR

ADVERTISEMENT

BY THIS AUTHOR

PHOENIX MEDIA GROUP
CLASSIFIEDS







TODAY'S FEATURED ADVERTISERS
   
Copyright © 2007 The Phoenix Media/Communications Group