Journalism in the #MeToo Era

On October 5th, 2017, The New York Times published a story detailing years of sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein. This article, which featured the testimonies of many women, including actresses Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan, was a catalyst for sexual assault survivors all across the country to speak out as part of what has now become known as the #MeToo movement.

Though the New York Times’ article certainly helped to catapult the issue of sexual assault into the national spotlight, there are times when coverage of this complex issue falls short, a fact that is not lost on journalists or consumers. In the midsts of the #MeToo era, the line between progressive reporting on sexual assault, is still in need of redefining.

“I think that journalism is currently going through a moment which journalists are reexamining what our roles should be in covering these stories,” says Emma Gray. As a senior women’s reporter for the Huffington Post, Gray deals with the topic of sexual assault often and the #MeToo Movement left a large impact on her work in particular. Moreso, it opened the opportunity to take a new look at the media’s conversation surrounding sexual assault. Gray admits that it’s a work in progress and that sometimes, “missteps are made.”

It’s not just journalists who are taking notice of the media’s shortcomings. College student, Morgan Stubblefield, has followed the ups and downs of the #MeToo movement since stories first began to appear on the national scale.

“I think a lot of the time whenever the media covers sexual assault it almost becomes like a blame game,” says Stubblefield, 20. As an avid supporter of sexual assault survivors, Stubblefield says she is often torn on how to feel about sexual assault coverage.

“Part of me wants there to be more voice for the victims but the other part of me doesn't want there to be any jumping to conclusions,” she explains. “Instead of ‘the accused said this so the woman is lying.’, I just want it to be a fair equal playing ground for both sides of the story and I want there to be a lot more research.”

As an advocate for sexual assault victims, PAVSA coordinator Mary Faulkner has lots of concerns when it comes to media coverage of sexual assault.

“It can be a little tricky for us as advocates to make sure that if the media wants to talk to survivors, that were doing that in a supportive, trauma informed way,” says Faulkner. “There are survivors who put themselves out as advocates but that comes as a cost to them.”

The Program for Aid to Victims of Sexual Assault, or PAVSA, spends a lot of time working with news outlets to help shed light on the intricacies of covering sexual assault.

“I know journalists are trying really hard to make sure that those stories are respectful,” Faulkner says, “but it's a complicated topic and I think sometimes they have a lot of blind spots that can make it more difficult for survivors.”

There is a responsibility on journalists to be aware of the potential costs that these types of stories can have for survivors, and for the most part, that understanding comes with practice, according to Faulkner. She says it helps to have reporters who are willing to learn and willing to speak up and hold each other accountable when mistakes are made.

As a journalist, Gray knows this better than most.

“Reporters have a responsibility to be well informed about the subjects that they are covering and understand how to work with their sources in a way that is humane.” It is important for Gray to minimize the risk of trauma for survivors and still make sure they are being heard.

“It’s a delicate balance,” she says. “We don't want to publish stories that are irresponsible, that aren't written well, that aren't vetted well, where the reporting work has not been done. We need to think long and hard about what should be the standard for deciding that a story is worthy of attention.”

For journalist and consumers alike, the #MeToo movement has come with a steep learning curve, Faulkner admits. While there is still further to go, the progress that has been made since this movement started making headline has left a big effect on the world of journalism.

“It’s been massively impactful,” says Gray, when asked about the personal influence she’s experienced since the New York Times article on Weinstein. “It’s changed the course of the way we gather news on this subject and the general public is becoming more receptive to hearing from victims in a way that I had not seen when I was covering these things years ago.”