kk821516@ohio.edu
As journalists, we face just about every type of ethical debate known to mankind when reporting. Some, however, are heavier than others.
In the wake of the #MeToo movement hundreds of thousands of women came out and shared their sexual assault stories. Many of these instances were women telling their own stories, but in some cases it was so much bigger: Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, and frankly the biggest of all, Larry Nassar, to name a few.
With cases as big as the ones mentioned above the movement found its way to mainstream news networks, leaving it to journalists to report on the sexual assault cases of people they, frankly, didn't even actually know.
At this point the question is raised, how does one report on such a heavy topic? Aren't these technically just accusations? Should one even report on it?
Newsflash: the answer is yes.
The fact that sexual misconduct is the most under-reported crime is due to a common belief that women make up these stories for attention or to get back at a man who rejected them. Victims' accounts are often scrutinized to the point of exhaustion. In high-profile cases, victims are often labeled opportunists, blamed for their own victimization, and punished for coming forward.
The truth of the matter is that many women don't come out and share their stories for fear of the consequences.
Rebecca Solnit, a survivor of sexual assault, wrote:
"Because here’s a thing you might have forgotten about women being menaced or assaulted or beaten or raped: we think we might be murdered before it’s over. I have. And because there’s often a second layer of threat “if you tell. From your assailant, or from the people who don’t want to hear about what he did and what you need. Patriarchy kills off stories and women to maintain its power. If you’re a woman, this stuff shapes you; it scars you, it tells you you are worthless, no one, voiceless, that this is not a world in which you are safe or equal or free. That your life is something someone else may steal from you, even a complete stranger, just because you’re a woman. And that society will look the other way most of the time, or blame you, this society that is itself a system of punishment for being a woman.”
It is so crucial that when a women comes out and shares her story that she is supported. It's 2018 people, we're in an incredibly progressive time period, the fact that sexual assault alone is finally being addressed very publicly is a huge stepping stone. We as journalists know that spreading the truth is part of our job, we tend to have no problem exposing criminals of other nature, same goes for sex offenders. Regardless of status, a sex offender is a criminal. A very terrible type of criminal, one that leaves mental scars for a lifetime on their victim.
(Photo Courtesy of rainn.org)
Now I know that leads to the question of, well what if the woman is making a false accusation? The truth of the matter is that, according to the National Sexual Violence Research Center, false allegations make up only about 2 percent to 10 percent of cases. That being said, only about 2% of rapists actually serve jail time for their crime.
What it comes down to is the heavy majority of women aren't lying about these horrible things that happen to them. We are changing the climate of talking about sexual assault, breaking the taboo. And studies have shown that sexual assault rates have decreased! Raising awareness is so important because at the end of the day, that's someone's daughter, sister, cousin, mother, wife, and no one should ever be put through such a thing.
It's our responsibility as journalists to use the power of the pen to create change.
I speak for myself and many others when I say if you're a survivor of sexual assault, we will fight for you.
#MeToo.
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