Panel disscusion criticizes media

In a panel discussion held one week before National Victims Rights week, Carol Tracy, executive director of the Mayor's Commission for Women called for the media to use severe discretion when reporting incidents of sexual assault. At the symposium, titled "Victim's Rights and the Media" and organized by University Police, members of the University community debated what rights victims have in front of an audience of about 20 people. At the hour-long panel discussion, Tracy said that society must be informed about the rights and needs of crime victims. She added that the University community has been successful in preventing many crimes and in aiding victims, but "the issues need to be more widely addressed." Much of the discussion centered around what panel members called the media's inadequate handling of victim identification. According to Ruth Wells, director of Victim Support and Security Services for University Police, "more details are needed before the media makes allegations about crime." She pointed specifically to newspapers. Abbey Linfert, a panel member and a "survivor" of acquaintence rape, said that "the media has a difficult line to walk." The College senior added that while people need to be made aware of crimes against other people, media exposure should be aware of the victim's feelings adding that it can often cause problems for the victim. Another panel member, Nick King -- who helped to found Students Together Against Acquaintence Rape at the University, proposed a number of suggestions the media should follow regarding the rights of victims. He stressed "the need for the media to preserve and protect the confidentiality of a victim," adding that currently 50 percent of crimes are not reported by victims, because they fear media sensationalism. Karen Gaines, editor of Almanac, defended media interests saying that the public needs to be aware of crimes and to help people protect themselves. She added that the media has a "responsibility" to the public to adequately report the story. King, however, blasted the media, saying that victims of the crime often become the media's focal point instead of the criminal. "[Crime] has to do with socialization, which occurs through the media and as a result it helps stigmatize survivors rather than perpetrators," he said. "The media needs to be more unbiased." Students had mixed reaction to the panel discussion with one student saying that the panel did not address several issues. "The symposium was informational but not very structured or organized," said Sarah Ginsberg, a College sophomore. "It centered more around the views of Nick King rather than exploring other victims' rights issues."

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