WEEKEND MEMOS

'Weekend memos' give our editorial writers a chance to express their own opinions, comment on topics they have been writing about, or take a lighter approach. The opinions in 'Memos' do not always follow the Enquirer's editorial positions.

The media circus has already begun in the latest "trial of the century": The State of Colorado vs. Kobe Bean Bryant.

Yuck!

Bryant is accused of raping a 19-year-old woman who worked at the lodge where he stayed in July while he had knee surgery.

Hundreds of media representatives flocked to Eagle, Col., Wednesday to report on a 7-minute preliminary hearing. Bryant spoke two words: "Yes, sir," in response to a judge's question about setting the date for a future hearing.

And the crowd goes wild!

This already reeks of the media frenzy that occurred in 1994 during O.J. Simpson's trial. It has race, a high-profile athlete, sex and allegations of a lurid crime.

Only this time the setting is not big-shouldered Los Angeles; it is a small town unaccustomed to mass-media convergence. And the issue poses a long-standing journalistic ethical challenge: How should we report on rapes?

I hope my media colleagues pass the test. So far, many have not.

Some media have outed the victim. Her name and pictures purported to be her are circulating on the Internet. Reports said she suffered from depression - so much so that she has attempted suicide on two occasions.

Immediately after Bryant was charged, people who said they were her friends gave TV interviews. We've been told she likes to party. Others are even playing the race card, dragging up the lame stereotype about black men and their insatiable desires.

Hogwash!

Rarely do we report such details in crime stories about ordinary people.

Sure, Bryant is a superstar and a role model with much at stake. He has high market value. But the media have a great responsibility to be fair, balanced and accurate in reporting this story on its most basic level.

Bryant has admitted to the morally wrong "mistake" of adultery, but says the sex was consensual. Prosecutors say it was sexual assault. On Oct. 9, prosecutors will lay out their case. There will be a trial and justice presumably will be carried out. And eventually the case will fade, like all sex scandals do.

But for now, lose the circus.

Byron McCauley