Both the Media and the DA fed off of each other. The media had reported on the case and public opinion had already started leaning against the team before Nifong received the case - although it wasn't a major national story yet. The Media also treated the email as a smoking gun when it was obvious to anyone with half a brain that it was just a distasteful joke (the novel that it spoofed - American Psycho - was required reading for a class that many of the players had taken). Shortly after the story went National, the accusers case began to unravel, but the Media never reversed their opinions or their desire to convict the team. They never pressed Nifong on the evidence he had against the players. When facts emerged about the shoddy investigation, and the players' alibis, the media was slow to report it. Make no mistake about it, the Media played a MAJOR role in the travesty.

And don't forget the Police. They made multiple errors in procedure, including aggressively pursuing the charges before getting results of the rape kit, they knew the accuser was a drug addicted prostitute and made little to no effort to verify her story, and they staged the sham photo lineup that guaranteed 3 lacrosse players would be accused.