Comments on: Emory Student Reports Rape in Wooded Area Near Emory Village

By: brianc

brianc — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 23:31:48 +0000

Well, I guess you could partly blame the weather for the lack of coverage; that’s all they’re talking about on the local news. But the lack of coverage is concerning.

By: LD

LD — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 23:28:14 +0000

Interesting and difficult discussion above, but I’m not sure what to make of it. Nothing in the headline to me denigrated the authenticity of the accusation or seriousness of the situation. Similarly, if some sort of abuse occurred at my kid’s school, I would assume early headlines would read “Abuse Reported at ___ School.” I want the facts and I want justice all the same.

If someone goes missing, they are often “reported missing”. It is a term to describe an evolving investigation that doesn’t alter, demean or undermine the reality of the event.

Separately, what I find more disturbing is that this story has not received more coverage – I would like to assume there is a reason for that.

By: Cirrus

Cirrus — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 18:30:02 +0000

I fully agree with smalltowngirl. I didn’t mean to implicate DM of any particular wrongdoing, just that this is a symptom of what appears to me to be a larger problem, and it makes me sad.

I also feel tremendous sadness for the victim and above all I wish this incident (and subsequent discussion) didn’t have to happen at all.

By: Bulldog

Bulldog — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 01:51:51 +0000

It can become dangerous territory if a reporter assigns certainty to a situation before it is substantiated. I understand what you are saying, but a burglary is not the same thing as rape. A burglary would be far easier and faster to substantiate than a sexual assault.

By: smalltowngal

smalltowngal — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 21:45:14 +0000

I honestly don’t think there’s a real danger of “blow-back” from reporting an allegation that later proved false, as long as the report didn’t accuse a particular assailant.

I can’t speak for Cirrus or anyone else, but in my mind, at least, the worthwhile conversation isn’t specifically about “how DM headlines shared news releases.” You basically aggregate and relay news from various sources. Your headline simply followed the lead of the release issued by Emory. What I find bothersome is how the mainstream press typically reports sexual assault. That’s a larger conversation that might occur if we make room for it here.