The @CourierJournal coverage of the Patrick Baker case has been misleading. First, they claim a donation/fundraiser during the reelection season caused the exoneration without reporting on the investigative efforts that led to the pardon. The reporting also omits
that the Baker family supported Bevin in 2015 before Patrick was wrongfully convicted in the first place. Then several hours after we have a press conference addressing every question asked by reporters, and providing evidence of Baker’s innocence in a detailed fashion...
the @courierjournal realizes that the $4,000 donation fell flat and resorts to Plan B a pardon letter from a wealthy member of the Corbin community who just so happens to be a political donor. In their words: the Megadonor. @joesonka declines to inform readers of
the other dozen (or more) letters in the pardon packet from members across the entire Knox County community who believe in Baker’s innocenceand supported his pardon efforts: (1) the pastor of the Baker’s church; (2) a County Judge Executive; (3) a Kentucky teacher of the year;
(4) the Jailer where Patrick was incarcerated; (5) his friends and loved ones. If you read the @joesonka , the only letter in the packer that mattered was one from a “Megadonor.” Because that's what sells papers and weekend special sections.
And apparently in Louisville, it’s more important to run a daily story that intentionally omits significant information than do meaningful investigation. From my review, @joesonka has written 11 articles on the pardons in the last 8 days.
Conversely, members of the @NewYorkTimes and @washingtonpost are reporting on the pardons and have taken the opposite approach. You know, where they actually investigate and take an objective approach that provides context.
@joesonka's stories – and that’s what they are, this isn’t objective reporting – omit details, thus misleading readers. Patrick’s exoneration was legitimate and the product of a thorough investigation conducted by one of Kentucky’s finest: retired LPD Sgt. Denny Butler.
But that didn’t fit the original @courierjournal – to slam @MattBevin and make serious accusations of misconduct against the Baker family. Here are a few examples of the false reporting:
Beginning with the false Megadonor, Sonka writes, “Shortly after Forcht prodded the governor to act, former state Rep. Denny Butler, an investigator looking into Baker's case on Bevin's behalf, advised the governor that while he believed in Baker's innocence, it would be
inappropriate to issue a pardon at that time.” What Sonka failed to divulge is that Butler worked on the case beginning in March 2019 and had been advocating for a criminal investigation into the corrupt KSP cops since March 2018. That didn’t fit the narrative so they omit it
@joesonka also failed to reveal what that memo said. This is yet another omission designed to mislead people into believing that Gov. Bevin did not have a legitimate process with regard to the pardons, Baker included. Nothing could be further from the truth re Baker
Here, readers saw: “ Butler didn't think a pardon was warranted until further investigation could be done.” The article then includes the quote: “In response to the request for pardons by Mr. Edge and Mr. Baker, and after a comprehensive review by my administration, a pardon..
would not be the appropriate decision in either case," the letter drafted by Butler in the governor's name said."’ Given this version of events, a draft letter recommended against a pardon or at least that’s what readers were led to believe.
What Sonka failed to include were the sentences immediately before and after the quote. The memo is attached here, but I include the quote: “Both cases require further investigation by a Conviction Integrity Unit to assure the individual(s) involved in the crime(s) are... 
held accountable. I do however, find that the public is not endangered; the moral thing to do is provide relief to both individuals until a Conviction Integrity Unit investigation is completed. Accordingly, I am conditionally commuting the sentences of both Mr. Edge and Mr. Baker
until a Conviction Integrity Unit investigation and/or your office investigates under the authority of KRS 15.200.” As demonstrated, the Courier wanted a narrative that Bevin’s administration (through Butler) recommended against the pardon for Baker after looking into the case.
That’s what they informed the readers. In reality, the memo reaffirms the innocence of both, requests they be immediately released by commutation, and that a statewide conviction integrity unit be formed to assure the individual(s) involved in the crime(s) are held accountable.
Put simply, a pardon was not enough because the real killer(s) would roam free. Thus, @MattBevin wanted to release the innocent while requiring a criminal investigation into the true killers. But that doesn’t fit the narrative of a paper who just wants to attack Gov. Bevin.
In this regard, it’s amusing how many quotes they accept from Prosecutor Steele, who has a clear motive for being out front on this case. Has Steele ever prosecuted a Kentucky State Police officer for police misconduct?? With regard to York, he basically picked and hired his
civil defense attorney after we filed suit in Hoskins. Mind you, since those miscarriages of justice did not involve Bevin, @courierjournal made sure they were on the front page. See attached.
I have yet to meet a prosecutor in Kentucky who admits to wrongfully convicting someone. It didn’t happen with Kerry Porter, where McKay Chauvin to this day maintains it was the strongest case he ever had. In $7,500,000 different ways, the City of Louisville disagreed.
In reality, if Patrick Baker was exonerated through a pardon from Gov. Beshear, he would have been on the front page of the @courierjournal just like each of my other wrongfully prosecuted clients. @joesonka would have written a favorable piece celebrating justice.
Because Patrick's exoneration came through a gubernatorial pardon from Gov. Bevin, @joesonka resorts to omitting critical facts and the actual investigation which led to the pardon at issue. I expected better investigative journalism from @courierjournal and I hope you do too
The real investigation needs to be into police corruption within the Kentucky State Police. Including why KSP commissioner Rick Sanders refused to get rid of officers who admitted to egregious misconduct. @radleybalko #patrickbaker #pardon
