Last October I took msnbc.com to task for a misleading story by writer Michele Richinick about the lewd conduct arrest of Django Unchained actress Daniele Watts -- who is black -- and her boyfriend -- who is white. Fast forward to Monday, May 4, as Ms. Watts pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of disturbing the peace in exchange for prosecutors dropping charges related to public fornication.
As punishment, Watts and her beau, the Los Angeles Times reported, must "complete 40 hours of community service and write letters apologizing to the LAPD sergeant and an officer, as well as the occupants of a Ventura Boulevard building who reported them to police."
Ms. Watts, you may recall, was caught on audiotape berating police officers as racist for confronting her and her white boyfriend.
It remains to be seen if msnbc.com offers a follow-up story -- although probably not by Richinick, who has since moved on to Newsweek -- now that the initial hype about the arrest being racially motivated is unquestionably bogus. As of the time of publication of this blog post, there has not been a new story by the Lean Forward network's website about Watts's no-contest plea and the assigned punishment of apologizing to the police officers she maligned.
