NYT, Others Blame 11 year old gang rape victim
Media Blows It With Pathetic Gang Rape Coverage
[UPDATED]In Cleveland, Texas, 18 young men and boys have been charged with participating in the gang rape of an 11-year-old girl in an abandoned trailer home. As if the event weren’t awful enough, the papers reporting the incident aren’t exactly being, oh, say, fair in their reportage.
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Jezebel:
These are important details to include in the story! If the mother didn’t keep an eye on her daughter and let her wear slutty clothing, clearly it’s her fault that her 11-year-old was the victim of a horrifying sexual assault. Worse, the Times fails to offer any sort of quote or reflect any degree of reporting that would offer balance to the victim-blaming.
Sadly, the Times isn’t the only paper looking blaming anyone but the attackers for the rape. Earlier this week in the Houston Chronicle, another resident, Kisha Williams, questioned the parents, saying, “Where were they when this girl was seen wandering at all hours with no supervision and pretending to be much older?” The Chronicle points out that other residents feel this response is inappropriate, then quotes Carter Williams as saying, “This is a praying time for the young men and the young girl … Seems like everyone in this whole town needs some God in their life.”
The paper also notes that the girl looked older than she was, and describes the girl’s Facebook page
Updated and with responses at link.