Blog #3
Jibril Washington
How journalists and media report on rape cases
Situation Definition:
Kristen Houser’s coalition against rape on rape crisis training was very insightful and eye opening from a journalist stand point. The two things that stood out to me most was the words journalist used to describe the victims and the biased takes they took on their cases in their stories. Both of these components sum up to two major ethical issues in journalism. One is minimizing harm and the other is being accountable and transparent. When she touched on these subjects and how the journalist covered them, it motivated me to be a better journalist because of the biased opinions and words some of them had.
It echoed transparency and minimizing harm to. As a journalist, it is my duty to be unbiased when I am covering any story and make sure I am bringing as less harm as possible to everyone involved without changing the facts of the story. That means not using words such as “The lady accused” or “She claimed” and instead say “She has stated that”. Sentences and words like that make the difference when covering and reporting stories.
Analysis:
The issue with journalists using biased words and making the victim seem like a liar, is that it is unethical reporting, especially when it comes to rape victims and people committing the crime. We can’t just say that the people committing these rape crimes are monsters and bad people because that isn’t shedding any light on who they really are. It makes them seem like these random unseen people. When really, they are people we see every day. One thing that was also called into question was whether or not the victim’s name should be disclosed in a news report. This is something that I’ve been wrestling with due to a number of factors.
As a journalist, I have the duty of seeking the truth and reporting it, but at the same time, I also have a responsibility of minimizing harm as best as I can. While it can be a hard decision, I would ultimately publish the names of both the victim and the person being charged while being careful how I describe them because it is essential for the story and for the people. Or as a journal I read online ‘Of Crime and Consequences: Should Newspapers Report Rape Complainants Names’ said ‘In Obermayer’s words, “protecting the accuser’s anonymity, while fully identifying the accused… public embarrassment.’” Before publishing I would put myself in the victim’s shoes and get perspectives from other journalists and editors as that will be key in what I do.
Many scholars and journalists had lots to say about minimizing harm and how to go about doing that. In the journal “Minimizing harm takes careful consideration” I read that “Mostly, remember that your coverage of any tragedy will remain a part of the victims’ memories long after you move on to other stories. Let them remember you for minimizing harm.” In that specific journal he talked about how to deal with tragedies and victims. He sees tragedy as anything that brings the victim great grief, such as rape. He urges journalist to be sensitive but know when you have to do things that may cause harm.
Minimizing harm is something that the speaker honed in on during her lecture. She suggests that journalist use ends-based thinking so that you can decide on the competing values and consequences you may face in your decision. I also feel that is the only way to come to a sound decision. The book touched on this as well. It said that it is better to not disclose the names of the victims which I can see why. Although I previously said I would disclose both the victim and person charged, but I still would look at it on a case to case basis.
There are many positions that can be made regarding all of this. It can be hard to make certain calls as a journalist, especially when it comes to rape cases. I recommend that journalist makes good sound decisions when doing stories. Take into account everything that is a problem and go from there. In a journal I read ‘The privacy rights of rape victims in the media and the law: Perspectives on disclosing rape victims’ names.’ It said “By naming a rape victim, she contends, the media perpetuate the victimization of women. This is because society still tends to blame women for rapes, often believing that the woman allowed or encouraged the crime.” Things like this is why we need to take so many different things into account. That goes for the words we use and all.
Conclusion:
I’ve learned a lot through the lecture and doing my own research on this topic. I’ve learned that rape is a very delicate topic and needs to be handled properly as a journalist. The words I use to describe victims and the people charged will play a big role in how they are perceived and viewed by the public. It is increasingly important to continue the discussion of how journalists report on rape cases because we need to know the correct way to report on these types of stories. These discussions improve our ability to cover rape in the media and know how everyone feels from the victim, person charged and journalists.
It is also important for us to not only know how to identify the people involved but also how we cause as less harm as possible while still getting the facts out to the people. Being able to dot hat is not as easy as it sounds; something I learned after this lecture. Saying things like ‘we need to stop these monsters’ or ‘she accused him of’ is not the most unbiased thing to say. Which at the end of the day is our ethical duty.
References:
Lake, J. B. (1991). Of Crime and Consequence: Should Newspapers Report Rape Complainants’ Names?. Journal Of Mass Media Ethics, 6(2), 111.
Smith, K. (2012). Minimizing harm takes careful consideration. Quill, 100(1), 34.
Engel, F. (1994). The privacy rights of rape victims in the media and the law: Perspectives on disclosing rape victims’ names. Political Communication,