Mrs. Stompa wrote:I saw this and lost pretty much all of the respect for the NYT that I had.

Residents in the neighborhood where the abandoned trailer stands — known as the Quarters — said the victim had been visiting various friends there for months. They said she dressed older than her age, wearing makeup and fashions more appropriate to a woman in her 20s. She would hang out with teenage boys at a playground, some said.

“Where was her mother? What was her mother thinking?” said Ms. Harrison, one of a handful of neighbors who would speak on the record. “How can you have an 11-year-old child missing down in the Quarters?”

The story quickly climbed The Times’s “most emailed” list but not just because of the sensational facts of the crime involved. “Vicious Assault Shakes Texas Town,” published on Tuesday, reported the gang rape by 18 boys and men of an 11-year-old girl in the East Texas town of Cleveland.

The viral distribution of the story was, at least in part, because of the intense outrage it inspired among readers who thought the piece pilloried the victim.

My assessment is that the outrage is understandable. The story dealt with a hideous crime but addressed concerns about the ruined lives of the perpetrators without acknowledging the obvious: concern for the victim.

While the story appeared to focus on the community’s reaction to the crime, it was not enough to simply report that the community is principally concerned about the boys and men involved – as this story seems to do. If indeed that is the only sentiment to be found in this community – and I find that very hard to believe – it becomes important to report on that as well by seeking out voices of professional authorities or dissenting community members who will at least address, and not ignore, the plight of the young girl involved.

Let’s consider the particulars:

The story by James C. McKinley Jr. reported that residents of the town noted the girl dressed “older than her age,” wore makeup and fashions “more appropriate to a woman in her 20s” and hung out with older boys at the playground.

The story also quoted one resident, saying, “Where was her mother? What was her mother thinking?”

Referring to some of the defendants in the case, the same resident was quoted saying, “These boys have to live with this the rest of their lives.”

The fourth paragraph of the story laid out the basic themes of the story:

The case has rocked this East Texas community to its core and left many residents in the working-class neighborhood where the attack took place with unanswered questions. Among them is, if the allegations are proved, how could their young men have been drawn into such an act?

These elements, creating an impression of concern for the perpetrators and an impression of a provocative victim, led many readers to interpret the subtext of the story to be: she had it coming.

The Times, responding to a wave of complaints, issued a statement Wednesday saying, “Nothing in our story was in any way intended to imply that the victim was to blame. Neighbors’ comments about the girl, which we reported in the story, seemed to reflect concern about what they saw as a lack of supervision that may have left her at risk.”

The statement went on: “As for residents’ references to the accused having to ‘live with this for the rest of their lives,’ those are views we found in our reporting. They are not our reporter’s reactions, but the reactions of disbelief by townspeople over the news of a mass assault on a defenseless 11-year-old.”

Philip Corbett, standards editor for The Times, told me earlier today that the story focused on the reaction of community residents and that there was no intent to blame the victim. He added, “I do think in retrospect we could have done more to provide more context to make that clear.”

The Associated Press handled the story more deftly, I think. Its piece on the crime also noted the community view that the girl dressed provocatively and even the view of some that the girl may have been culpable somehow. But the AP also quoted someone in the community saying: “She’s 11 years old. It shouldn’t have happened. That’s a child. Somebody should have said, ‘What we are doing is wrong.’”

The Times, I have been told, is working on a followup story. I hope it delves more deeply into the subject because the March 8 story lacked a critical balancing element. If upon further reporting it is found that the community of Cleveland, Tex., universally believes that the 11-year-old girl was culpable in this crime, then that would be remarkable indeed. But if it proved to be the case, The Times should take care to interview mental health and legal experts who can provide context to a story about a vicious sex crime against a young girl.

rubiksnoob wrote:Took a look at the comments. . . Is that albatross possibly dakka's albatross? Hmmmmm.

Kilkrazy wrote:You really ought to think about getting off their balls.

Kilkrazy wrote:That's a bit irresponsible IMO.

You really ought to think about getting off their balls.

Cheesecat wrote:

Kilkrazy wrote:That's a bit irresponsible IMO.

You really ought to think about getting off their balls.

I think he's being sarcastic.

Phototoxin wrote:Just remember blog writers =/= journalists. They are more likely to be typists with an opinion. But that doesn't sound sexy.

biccat wrote:
So what makes a 'journalist'?

biccat wrote:

Phototoxin wrote:Just remember blog writers =/= journalists. They are more likely to be typists with an opinion. But that doesn't sound sexy.

So what makes a 'journalist'? Having a fancy desk and working for a prestigious corporation? NYT has had it's fair share of fake "journalists".

.

Kilkrazy wrote:Writing for a newspaper does not make you a journalist. It just makes you someone with access to a printer.

George Spiggott wrote:

Kilkrazy wrote:Writing for a newspaper does not make you a journalist. It just makes you someone with access to a printer.

Fixed to address the point raised.

"Residents in the neighborhood where the abandoned trailer stands — known as the Quarters — said the victim had been visiting various friends there for months. They said she dressed older than her age, wearing makeup and fashions more appropriate to a woman in her 20s. She would hang out with teenage boys at a playground, some said. "

Among them is, if the allegations are proved, how could their young men have been drawn into such an act?

Mrs. Stompa wrote:I have to admit, I read the article but not the actual blog posts. I find blogs in general to be self indulgent and for the most part, stupid.

I find the article distasteful because it seems to focus on the rapists themselves with almost sympathy. And yes, I know they were quoting a lot of locals, but why nothing from the locals about the girl who was raped? Apart from blaming her mother, I mean.

This part in particular :

"Residents in the neighborhood where the abandoned trailer stands — known as the Quarters — said the victim had been visiting various friends there for months. They said she dressed older than her age, wearing makeup and fashions more appropriate to a woman in her 20s. She would hang out with teenage boys at a playground, some said. "

Really irks me. It seems like the blame is being shouldered on the girl for dressing and acting inappropriately. Blaming an 11 year old girl with the old "She was asking for it" routine. The times even said this :

Among them is, if the allegations are proved, how could their young men have been drawn into such an act?

I'm sorry....drawn into the act? How did those poor boys get drawn into such a thing? as if this girl seduced them, what with her 11 year old wiles and all.

The article just has a tone of sympathy for these men and boys who raped an 11 year old girl, with barely a mention for her welfare, future or well being.

ETA : a lot of what is bothering me is, in fact, the locals blaming the little girl. (One more reason for me to avoid Texas) But I think the Times could have presented both sides of the story more evenly.

Kanluwen wrote:

Mrs. Stompa wrote:I have to admit, I read the article but not the actual blog posts. I find blogs in general to be self indulgent and for the most part, stupid.

I find the article distasteful because it seems to focus on the rapists themselves with almost sympathy. And yes, I know they were quoting a lot of locals, but why nothing from the locals about the girl who was raped? Apart from blaming her mother, I mean.

This part in particular :

"Residents in the neighborhood where the abandoned trailer stands — known as the Quarters — said the victim had been visiting various friends there for months. They said she dressed older than her age, wearing makeup and fashions more appropriate to a woman in her 20s. She would hang out with teenage boys at a playground, some said. "

Really irks me. It seems like the blame is being shouldered on the girl for dressing and acting inappropriately. Blaming an 11 year old girl with the old "She was asking for it" routine. The times even said this :

Among them is, if the allegations are proved, how could their young men have been drawn into such an act?

I'm sorry....drawn into the act? How did those poor boys get drawn into such a thing? as if this girl seduced them, what with her 11 year old wiles and all.

The article just has a tone of sympathy for these men and boys who raped an 11 year old girl, with barely a mention for her welfare, future or well being.

ETA : a lot of what is bothering me is, in fact, the locals blaming the little girl. (One more reason for me to avoid Texas) But I think the Times could have presented both sides of the story more evenly.

But there in lies the rub, Mrs. Stompa.

Even in this day and age, sexual assault is something where the "she was asking for it because she dressed slutty" attitude prevails.

It's sickening that it exists, but nobody wants to believe that their neighbor or their brother could ever have been 'lured' into such a positively heinous act.

It also doesn't help that the girl wasn't "one of them", so of course there's less concern for her well-being and her suffering, and far more concern about how their lives are impacted.

Kilkrazy wrote:Newspapers go to great efforts to train journalists, check their stories, and have editorial policies, boards and legal checks.

Individuals writing on the internet can just take quotes out of context or alter them with impunity in order to convey false impressions.