Stop Fearing The Word Rape

Emma Kennedy
ek001915@ohio.edu

The media is the gatekeeper for what the mass public hears about sexual assault cases. Journalists are the first people to break the story and therefore make the most important impression. As journalists we need to make sure we are reporting on sexual assault cases as efficiently and effectively as possible.

More often as journalists we tip toe around sexual assault stories not wanting to end up being wrong or falsely accuse someone. Except, this comes across as making light of a very serious topic. When the wording is changed and rape is not defined as rape, the claim becomes diluted.

Journalists need to be on the frontline of helping the raging rape culture in our country, just here in Athens we are looking at over a dozen sexual assault cases. We need to be harsher with our terms and state the facts as they are. If a man forced a woman into sex, that is rape. If a woman forced a man into sex, that is rape. If someone forces someone else into sex, that is rape. Point blank, we as journalists need to stop being afraid of the word rape.

When the public reads a story and the accused is being painted in a good light then the public turns on the victim. The most famous case is Brock Turner, who was found guilty of sexually assaulting a girl but was not properly punished.

Yes it is true good people do bad things, but that does not mean they should be forgiven and defended when they do cruel things. Journalists need to stop treading lightly on sexual assault. Journalists need to hold people accountable for their actions.

Journalists need to stop provoking the "what was she wearing" debate. Consent is consent no matter what the scenario is or what the victim is wearing. They are a victim, end of story. When articles highlight other factors such as what the victim was doing, wearing, or drinking they dilute the fact that the victim was sexually assaulted. The hard fact is one out of six American woman are raped in their lifetime, not because of what they are wearing, but because society turns a blind eye to rape.

Rainn Statistics

Sexual assault cases also deserve more sensitivity from media than they receive. The media needs to be transparent with the victims and keep them in mind. Talking about such a horrific experience takes a lot of bravery and these survivors needed to be treated with respect. They do not need to be portrayed as being overdramatic and emotional.

Since journalists often report before cases have been closed they do have to acknowledge that the rape is "alleged," but that word carries a strong negative connotation. The word "alleged" has been wildly related to false rape cases, except only two percent of rape cases are false accusations.  Therefore journalists need to use other words to give more weight to this topic.

Coverage on sexual assault has become much better, as a society we have become more enlightened to the problem of sexual assault. But woman are still systematically oppressed and only 40 percent of rape cases are actually reported. So when woman are brave enough to stand up and say this happened to them, as journalists, we have a responsibility to give them the coverage they deserve. We have a responsibility to alert the public that this is still happening, our friends and families are still being raped.