The Turner Report: The murder of Jessica McCormack, negative reaction to Carol Stark post and this week's top Turner Report/Inside Joplin posts

Saturday, August 17, 2019

The murder of Jessica McCormack, negative reaction to Carol Stark post and this week's top Turner Report/Inside Joplin posts

I was sitting in the hallway outside the Jasper County Circuit Clark's office in Joplin a few days ago waiting for the public computer to become available so I could look up some court files.

Usually, I can get right in, but on that day there were actually two people in front of me.

One of them was a Joplin Globe reporter and I heard him talking about the investigation into the death of Jessica McCormack, 25, Noel, whose partially-clothed body was found stuffed in a suitcase along Highway 59.

At one point in his conversation with one of the employees, the reporter talked about a local media outlet (not the Turner Report) that had already reported McCormack was murdered.

He noted that no official word had come down that it was murder and the Joplin Globe was not in the business of making that determination. It reported only the facts and not speculation.

And there has been plenty of speculation about this case.

It seems obvious when you find a dead body dumped along the road stuffed into a suitcase you are talking about a murder, especially when the case also involved the kidnapping of three children.

But the reporter was absolutely right- it is not a reporter's job to determine if someone is murdered.

The conversation took place a few hours after I published a Turner Report post that said Jessica McCormack had been murdered.

My policy is the same as the Globe's. I am not going to make that determination, nor did I do so in this case. While McDonald County officials were not ready to say it was a murder, the U. S. Attorney's office had already gone on record in a news release issued that morning headlined "Noel man charged with kidnapping murder victim's daughter."

To be on the safe said, I checked the U. S. Attorney's website when I got home and there had been no changes made and as of this evening, Jessica McCormack is still referred to as a murder victim.

I appreciated the care both this reporter and the Globe take in reporting this kind of story.

Of course, that does not prevent the readers of the Globe and the Turner Report from offering their own comments. Many were quick to declare it a murder from the moment her body was discovered.

One Turner Report reader even pointed the finger at someone else rather than the man who has been charged with the kidnapping who killed Jessica McCormack.

That comment was not published.

The bottom line is the death of Jessica McCormack was a tragedy and three children will have either little or no memory of their mother.

Criticism of my Remembering Carol Stark post

When I wrote my post about the death of Joplin Globe Editor Carol Stark I anticipated that someone would take the opportunity to call me a hypocrite because I have been highly critical at times about the Joplin Globe and some of the editorial decisions she has made.

The criticism came as well as a comment about what a terrible human being I am and asking me why I did not continue bashing her even in death as I had done while she was alive and said I should be ashamed of myself.

That was the only negative comment I received about my post, though I am sure this person was not the only one who felt that way.

It is not a matter of my treating someone differently because that person has died. There are some people who I have written unfavorable things about who will not receive this kind of treatment if they happen to leave this world before I do.

My criticisms of Carol Stark were a matter of philosophical differences in the way news was covered.

The criticisms were never of Carol as a human being.

When it was time for me to write the Remembering Carol Stark post, I never considered rehashing the criticisms.

This was something I had been thinking about since I heard a couple of weeks ago that it appeared her battle was finally nearing an end.

The post was the lasting memory I have of Carol Stark and her lasting contribution to this area.

That was the only story I wanted to write.

Book announcement coming soon

I am still conducting research for my upcoming book and the publishing date is not any time in the near future, but I will be announcing the subject of the book later this month and I am excited about it.

My announcement will be in the form of a column that will run in an area newspaper the last week of the month and on the Turner Report.

The reason for the announcement is that the anniversary of one of the major events I am writing about in this book comes later this month.

Some of you are already aware of what I am writing about since I have been conducting numerous interviews and have had several people provide help to me as I have conducted research in Joplin and two area towns.

For those of you who are not aware, I am hoping the subject will come as a pleasant surprise.

One thing is for sure.

After researching and writing Lost Angels, I was looking for a complete change of pace.

This book will meet that description.

A big thank you

Thanks again to those of you who have subscribed, made financial contributions or have shared the posts and provided news tips to the Turner Report/Inside Joplin. Your contributions are appreciated.

Those wishing to subscribe or make a contribution can use the PayPal buttons below or send your contribution to Randy Turner, 2306 E. 8th, Apt. A, Joplin MO 64801.

This week's most visited posts and links for the Turner Report, Inside Joplin and Inside Joplin Obituaries can be found below the PayPal buttons.