Kristin Houser, member of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (PCAR), gave an insightful presentation on journalist’s role in shaping public knowledge on sexual violence cases, with specific emphasis on the power of language, context, and content. After listening to Houser’s presentation, I was able to assess the relationship between the issues she raised and the ethical messages that coincide with them. I concluded that a journalist’s moral duty to improve communities (society) and minimize harm were among the ethical messages that I found of particular relevance to her presentation.
According to Gene Foreman’s The Ethical Journalist, the concept of social responsibility was most adequately defined by a panel of intellectuals known as the Hutchins Commission. The commission declared that journalists had a moral responsibility of exposing “the current intelligence needed by a free society” (Foreman, 29). One of the main points addressed by the commission, was a journalist’s moral obligation to project a representative picture of the constituent groups in society (Foreman, 30). According to Houser, the media’s role is to bridge the gap between public awareness (knowledge) and the truth (facts) in accordance with an accurate reflection of the entire scope of sexual violence. Houser raised this point by introducing a quote from New York Times contributing writer, Amanda Hess, on her opinion of how better reporting can lend to a better depiction of sexual violence experiences; “Why is it that we seem to be reporting so much on the sexual assaults experienced by white women in college, often to the exclusion of other crimes?” (Hess, Reliance Media Summit).
According to author Jenny Kitzinger, history has proved that journalists did not always recognize sexual violence as a serious social issue, with coverage being liable of sensationalism and over sexism (Kitzinger, 18). Though coverage of sexual violence against women and children increased drastically during the 1970s and 80s, Houser makes a point about the current misrepresentation of working-class victims, elderly victims, and male victims alike. In recent decades sexual violence has remained a prevalent topic in the media, and that is why a journalist’s social responsibility to protect its citizens—and improve society—cannot be properly exercised if coverage excludes members of a society from their reporting.
Another ethical message raised by Houser’s presentation is a journalist’s moral duty to the minimization of harm. Houser provided examples of headlines from news stories which either presented language of consensual sex or implicit victim blaming. For instance, Houser focused on a headline which read “Former Va. teacher pleads guilty to having a sexual relationship with student”. Here, the use of “sexual relationship” infers that there was neither a crime committed nor any distinction between sex and abuse. In this case, the journalist has not adhered to his or her duty of showing compassion for those who may be adversely affected by this coverage—the victim.
In another example provided by Houser, a New York Times article’s headline reads “Watch Tupac’s Rape Accuser Speak Out on Camera For the First Time Ever in 25 Years”. While the term “rape accuser” is often used in connection with public figures, it shifts the dynamic of power by placing the alleged victim in the role of the aggressor, and the alleged perpetrator in the place of the victim of that accusation. An alternative to this would be to accurately report what happened without including blatant, vague, or needlessly erotic language that implies victim responsibility. According to Kitzinger, interviews and focus groups that she conducted between the early 1980s and mid-1990s highlighted the critical interplay between media coverage, public knowledge, and the victim’s abilities to identify their experiences, discuss them with other people, and protect against such abuse (Kitzinger, 19). If a journalist does not exercise the principle of minimizing harm within their reporting, they may attest to the fact that all acts are not criminal, but may inadvertently express insensitivity toward citizens—victims—of debilitating and traumatizing sexual violence cases.
In recent decades, the sudden expansion of media coverage on sexual violence cases has perpetuated a dramatic impact upon the public’s understandings of everyday life. As a journalist, we have a moral and social responsibility to protect society by providing accurate language, context, and coverage of sexual violence cases through the minimization of potential harm and inclusion of all constituent groups of a society. I feel that these are issues that are not discussed as frequently as they should be, and that Houser provides many significant ethical concerns that journalists, all too often, forget about. If we allow this kind of stigma on sexual violence to perpetuate in the news room, then we are feeding into a larger ethical dilemma within society. I find that the most effective alternative to this issue first lies in a changed perception of sexual violence in the newsroom.
References:
Foreman, G. (2010). The Ethical Journalist. Malden, ME: Wiley-Blackwell.
Ross, K., Byerly, C. M., & Kitzinger, J. (2004). Media Coverage of Sexual Violence Against Women and Children. In Women and Media: International Perspectives (pp. 13-19). Malden, ME: Blackwell Publishing.