Blog 3 – Ethical Lessons from the Foster-Foreman Lectures by Patrick Burns

Why reporters must be careful with their own language

Part One: Situation Definition

Kristen Houser of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape presented a lecture outlining how reporters should approach covering sexual assault cases. Houser identified two main issues when it comes to reporting on sexual assault: the words in which reporters choose to label victims or accusers and the failure to include essential information in reporting.

Part Two: Analysis

Tuesday night, Mark Russell talked about how important labeling and organizing is so that readers aren’t confused between what’s fact and what’s opinion. Our words as journalists are so powerful, and we must be careful when reporting on rape. This has a direct connection to Houser’s lecture. As Gene Foreman writes in, “The Ethical Journalist: Making Responsible Decisions in the Pursuit of News,” we must “seek the truth and report it” and try to “minimize harm.”

Houser specifically outlined how to do this, giving countless examples on how the media has falsely portrayed rape cases by using the wrong words. For example, instead of saying “the victim was unharmed,” a reporter should say, “the victim didn’t suffer life-threatening injuries,” “the victim is recovering at home,” “the victim is recovering with family,” “the victim was discharged from the hospital,” or “the victim is recovering in a safe location.” She also urged attendees to be mindful of how to label the word “scandal.” She suggested that people use, “rape case,” “sexual assault investigation,” or “child sexual abuse case” instead of labeling it a scandal.

Houser also touched on framing by news organizations when it comes to omitting words or failing to provide certain perspectives. “Silencing survivors: how news coverage neglects the women accusing Donald Trump of sexual misconduct” by Lindsey E. Blumell and Jennifer Huemmer provided immense insight into how reporters have chosen to frame the sexual misconduct allegations against President Donald Trump. Blumell and Huemmer write, “In total, only 13 percent of news headlines were from a survivors’ perspective…By comparison, 41 percent of headlines featured Trump or his family’s reactions….Notably, 14 percent of headlines included Bill Clinton…The remaining 32 percent of headlines featured politicians’ and celebrities’ reactions or the fate of Billy Bush’s career,” (Blumell and Huemmer, 2017).

Houser also spoke on how some organizations choose to sanitize facts. The headlines “US husband splits from wife who raped him as boy” and “Husband files for separation from former teacher Mary Kay Letourneau” indicate two completely different stories, yet they’re written about the same people and the main subject. When it comes to writing about rape and anything involving sexual assault, organizations must be more careful with their words because the failure to do so in the past has led to the United States’ current rape culture. Look at the movie It Follows, for example. It Follows is meant to teach viewers about rape, yet that’s not actually the case because Americans have become blind to the actual definition of rape. Leslie A. Hahner and Scott J. Varda write, “In our interrogation of nearly 220 film reviews, less than 7% of reviewers understood the film as portraying rape,” (Hahner and Varda, 2017). The words that reporters use ultimately play a major role in what society defines as sexual assault.

Part Three: Conclusion

Even as I consider myself an ethical journalist and person, Houser’s lecture made me aware that I must go out of my way to make sure I fully understand something before I report it. As reporters, our words and choices have a direct impact on culture as a whole. Our words are powerful, and we’re given a forum unlike anyone else. In order to be worthy of that forum, we need to be educated so that we can bridge the gap between the public’s current knowledge and actual facts and research. This isn’t a matter of objectivity. There are specific facts when it comes to rape, and it is our duty as reporters to report them.

I’ve saved my notes from Houser’s lecture and plan on referencing them whenever any ethical issue involving sexual assault comes up. Even as somebody who aspires to be a sports reporter, the way that I cover rape is incredibly important. Just look at the Kobe Bryant case, where media outlets allowed Bryant to flip the dynamic of the case by calling his alleged victim an “accuser.” This has become a toxic part of society, and we must properly and carefully identify the correct language to use when reporting rape. Houser and Russell proved just how significant our language is to the rest of society, and I’m so grateful that I was able to attend both lectures.

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