Letter: Journalists should tell the truth about sexual assault
Protesters hold placards outside the County Court where Cardinal George Pell is to arrive in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019. The most senior Catholic cleric ever convicted of child sex abuse faces his first night in custody following a sentencing hearing on Wednesday that will decide his punishment for molesting two choirboys in a Melbourne cathedral two decades ago. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
By Ellen Haslam | The Public Forum
| July 25, 2019, 1:00 p.m.
| Updated: 12:21 a.m.
As I regularly see articles about sexual assault, I am disheartened by the acquiescence journalists demonstrate when reporting such attacks.
Children who are raped or sexually assaulted are often referred to as “underaged women” or “young men.” No, they're children.
Call it what it is. Stop attempting to smooth over the heinous nature of these crimes, downplaying the horror of the trauma with carefully chosen verbiage.
Honest reporting requires the truth. Don't let the assaults on these children be minimized.
Ellen Haslam, West Jordan
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