Last Updated on: 22nd November 2023, 09:33 am
On Wednesday 24 May, the Rosey Project Community, an activist group associated with Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis, hosted an exhibition called “Reassess the Press”. The exhibition focused on a review of articles published in four of the UK’s biggest newspapers – The Telegraph, The Guardian, The Mirror and The Sun.
Media content and language was reviewed from the perspective of survivors and analysis of press coverage revealed bias and stereotyping in reporting. These included children being depicted as ‘vulnerable’ victims, adults being subjected to victim-blaming stereotypes and high-profile perpetrators being portrayed positively. Sensationalist and overly graphic headlines were also used, and all articles appeared without a trigger warning or details of a relevant helpline for those affected.
The exhibition featured interactive displays challenging viewers to identify real and fake coverage and was attended by actress Karen Dunbar, academics and students of journalism, representatives from local support agencies and survivors who have used the Rosey Project support services.
The event builds on research findings that featured in the “Melody Report”, published by the Rosey Project Community in 2021. This explored the impact of media reporting on survivors of rape and sexual assault in Scotland and found that over 70% of the participants surveyed felt that survivors of sexual violence were framed negatively in the media, and 81.1% reported feeling deterred from reporting to the police because of the way survivors are portrayed in the media.
The Rosey Project Community has made a series of recommendations to improve media reporting of rape and sexual assault cases, such as avoiding sensationalist language and headlines, including trigger warnings and helplines in relevant articles, and journalists being made aware of the impacts of victim blaming and how to avoid it.
Claudia MacDonald, Director at Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis, said: “Rape and sexual violence continue to be prevalent, an age-old and damning indictment of our society. Women and girls are still told to dress differently, not enjoy themselves as much or as freely, and take their share of the ‘blame’ for being raped. With our media’s power, they must stand up and take responsibility for how they are reporting.”
Members of the Rosey Project Community added: “Our research shows that not one of the 43 media pieces we reviewed met standards to report rape and sexual assault responsibly. Responsible reporting is a must. It should prioritise facts and the experience of survivors over sensationalist headlines. It should communicate clearly that rape and sexual violence are not OK in any context, and it should always take responsibility to provide support information for anyone engaging with it. We encourage everyone to Reassess the Press”.
On Wednesday 24 May, the Rosey Project Community hosted an exhibition called “Reassess the Press” at Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis. The exhibition examined how rape and sexual assault are reported in the British press, based on research from the Rosey Project Community’s “Melody Report”, published in 2021. Analysis revealed bias and stereotyping in reporting, including children depicted as ‘vulnerable’ victims, adults subjected to victim-blaming stereotypes, and high-profile perpetrators being portrayed positively.
The event was attended by actress Karen Dunbar, academics and students of journalism, representatives from local support agencies and survivors who have used the Rosey Project support services. Attendees were presented with a series of recommendations to improve media reporting of rape and sexual assault cases. These include avoiding sensationalist language and headlines, including trigger warnings and helplines in relevant articles, and journalists being made aware of the impacts of victim blaming and how to avoid it.
Claudia MacDonald, Director at Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis, said: “With our media’s power, they must stand up and take responsibility for how they are reporting. It’s not good enough that survivors of rape are villainised and have their whole life scrutinised because of the actions of a rapist. So, I urge all who work in the media, to join us in reassessing their press. We are here, and we will work with you to do this. Because we all need to stand up and say, ‘enough is enough’.”
Members of the Rosey Project Community added: “Responsible reporting is a must. It should prioritise facts and the experience of survivors over sensationalist headlines. It should communicate clearly that rape and sexual violence are not OK in any context, and it should always take responsibility to provide support information for anyone engaging with it. We encourage everyone to Reassess the Press”.
The Rosey Project Community, an activist group associated with Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis, hosted an exhibition called “Reassess the Press” on Wednesday 24 May.
