Dear Editor,
I can't believe you published Rosie DiManno's column about the recent sexual assault of a young male.
The column further perpetuates the image of the media engaging in a
culture of victim blaming/shaming. This is completely unacceptable and
irresponsible of a major news institution such as The Star. I hate to
have to do this, but I remember being in journalism school way back
when, and one of the first things we were taught was that our primary
responsibility was to present the news in an unbiased manner.
I understand that commentary is not meant to be unbiased, but I think
perhaps in the future it might be wise to consider having a different
reporter write commentary on sexual assault cases.
The victim did not want to be assaulted.
The perpetrators should not be assumed to be wanting sex simply because they were wearing club attire.
If I were ever a victim of assault, and God forbid I were also male, I
can promise you that reading something like Ms. DiManno's commentary
would not make me want to talk about it with anyone. Ever. Assault is
horrible enough as it is, regardless of what kind of assault it is, and
to read something in the mainstream media that shames, blames, and
somewhat facetiously ridicules both the victim and perpetrators is not
the least bit helpful to any of the parties involved in the incident. It
is also not at all helpful in changing public perception. Assault of any kind is not okay! Any message conveyed by the media other than that is tactic approval of assault.
I would love it if your team of commentary reporters would pull together
to do a feature section on assault and rape culture in our current
society. It's time that comes to light and is treated with the gravitas
it deserves.
Sincerely,
Jen
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