The book argues that even though many cases have been held up as classic examples of modern American “witch hunts, ” none of them fits that description. McMartin certainly comes close. But a careful examination of the evidence presented at trial demonstrates why, in my view, a reasonable juror could vote for conviction, as many did in this case. Other cases that have been painted as witch-hunts turn out to involve significant, even overwhelming, evidence of guilt. There are a few cases to the contrary, but even those are more complicated than the witch-hunt narrative allows. In short, there was not, by any reasonable measure, an epidemic of “witch hunts” in the 1980s. There were big mistakes made in how some cases were handled, particularly in the earliest years. But even in those years there were cases such as those of Frank Fuster and Kelly Michaels that, I believe, were based on substantial evidence but later unfairly maligned as having no evidentiary support. Ross Cheit
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In the book “The Witch-Hunt Narrative,” Joan Biskupic, a former Supreme Court reporter for the New York Times and author of “American Original: The Life and Times of Donald J. Trump,” wrote an article about how witch hunts were downplayed. Biskupic said, "Many court cases have been held up as classic examples of modern American 'witch hunts,' but none of them fits that description." She continued to say that "In this country, there have been a few high-profile instances of witch hunts over the years. In the 1950s and early 1960s, there was a massive witch hunt against suspected Communists in Hollywood and New York City." She also said that "One case which has been painted as a 'classic' example is the McMartin Preschool case in Manhattan Beach, Calif., which became famous as one of the first widely publicized cases of a 'witch-hunt.' But a careful examination of the evidence at trial demonstrates why in my view a reasonable juror could vote for conviction." Biskupic went on to say, "I think it's important to remember that cases such as those managed by Mary Spellman Plant (now known as Mary Kay Letourneau) and Frank Fuster (now known as Franky DeSica) involved children who had been sexually abused by adults.

But if we step back and consider the picture as a whole — not just those cases — we can see that we've made real progress against child sexual abuse. Still, many people fail to realize that there has been no epidemic of witch hunts in this country."

Source: The Witchhunt Narrative: Politics, Psychology, And The Sexual Abuse Of Children

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