In the case of today's bulletin from RTE, 'Gang attacks couples in Co Louth', about a shocking attack on two couples last night, it's a little more subtle. Behold the opening paragraphs:
Two couples were injured when they were attacked by a gang in Co Louth in the early hours of this morning.
The incident occurred in the Townley Hall area between Slane and Drogheda at around 4.30am this morning.
The two couples had been in a car when they were attacked by a gang and beaten up. One woman was allegedly raped.
When somebody is mugged on the street or robbed in their home, when they are pickpocketed in a bar or glassed in a nightclub, the incident is reported as fact. But a woman is allegedly raped. Because she might be lying, of course. Never mind that the rate of false reporting for rape is roughly the same (2%) as for all those other crimes.
I'm not talking, just to be clear, about describing someone accused of a crime. Until a conviction is obtained, it's only right and proper that someone should be reported as 'the alleged mugger' or 'the alleged rapist'. But that's not what went on in this article. In almost the same breath, RTE presented the violent attack on two men and two women as questioned, while the sexual assault of one of those women is only 'alleged'.
We don't pretend that people who are hospitalised by violent non-sexual attacks have made up their assault, or inflicted their injuries themselves. Sexual attacks should be treated the same way.
If one were to be as charitable as possible, it could perhaps be hoped that the RTE newsroom only had confirmation from the hospital of the non-sexual violence, and that the rape had not been confirmed. But this is not a particularly reasonable explanation. Why would the hospital, or the gardai, not confirm all details of the attack at the same time? If the story of the rape is just a rumour, why publish it at all until confirmed? Why permit it to be written about in the fashion above, which suggests that the non-sexual aspects are certain but the rape only an 'allegation'? Treating sexual violence in such a hamfisted manner is inexcusable.
2 comments:
The rape also gets tucked in there as an afterthought, as if it's less important than the beatings.
You know Medbh, after I wrote this, I said to myself maybe I'm being a bit harsh, they have to get those web bulletins out as quick as they can, and perhaps some harried reporter scribbled down the facts and was intending to clean it all up for an actual report later on.
Then yesterday I checked the Irish Times and the Irish Independent, to see their take on the story and, of course, to see if there was any update on the condition of the four. BOTH papers used the exact same formulation. The couples were attacked, the woman was allegedly raped. This was no isolated coincidence.
On the plus side, all four are recovering, and it looks hopeful that the gardai have the five that did it, may they rot in jail for many a year to come.
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