An in-depth analysis of the print media's handling of sex crimes.
Focusing on four widely reported rape eases, Benedict
(Journalism/Columbia Univ.; Recovery, 1985, etc.) dissects the
attitudes and language found in newspaper and magazine reports of
the incidents. The overriding consideration she detects is the
perpetuation of the myth of the rape victim as either "virgin or
vamp," a variation on the familiar "madonna/whore" dichotomy. To
illustrate, Benedict chooses the 1978 Rideout ease of marital rape;
the New Bedford, Mass., gang rape that was the basis of the film
The Accused; the murder of Jennifer Levin in the so-called "Preppie
Murder Case"; and the "Central Park Jogger" trial of 1989-90.
Benedict begins with a concise and informative overview of the
press's handling of sex crimes since the 1930's. Here and
throughout, she does a sensitive job of linking, where applicable,
race and class to her subject. But much of what she discovers -
that reporters and editors denigrate women victims with such words
as "girl" and "bubbly"; that alleged rapists' defense lawyers often
rely on the "she was asking for it" line of argument; that press
coverage almost invariably highlights the more sensational aspects
of sex-crime trials - will be familiar to most readers. Benedict's
probing into the advantages and disadvantages of disclosure of
victims's identities is thought-provoking, though, and her
recommendations for upgrading press coverage are dramatic, calling
for a thorough overhaul of current newsgathering and reporting
techniques. Lacking in original insights, but, still, a
well-intentioned and thoroughly researched introduction to a
painful subject. (Kirkus Reviews)
In the last few years, the national press has lavished coverage on several major sex-related scandals: the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill hearings, the William Kennedy Smith rape trial, and the Mike Tyson case. With each event came lurid stories pitting either a loose or virginal woman against an unwilling or monstrous man. Such extreme coverage, argues Helen Benedict, perpetuates myths that are harmful to victims of these crimes (and sometimes to the accused).
In Virgin or Vamp Benedict examines the press's treatment of four notorious sex crimes from the past decade--the Rideout marital rape trial in Oregon, the Big Dan's pool table gang rape in Massachusetts, the "Preppy Murder" in New York City, and the Central Park jogger case--and shows how victims are labelled either as virgins or vamps, a practice she condemns as misleading and harmful. Benedict also looks at other factors that perpetuate the misunderstanding of rape. For instance, she shows how the New York press presented the Central Park jogger rape case as motivated by racism because of its unwillingness to consider rape an issue of gender. She also addresses our inherent language bias, the press's tendency to use sexually suggestive language to describe crime victims, and its preference for crimes against whites. In conclusion, Benedict offers a number of solutions that will help reporters cover these increasingly common crimes without further harming the victims, the defendants, or public understanding.
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