Dear Mr. Hughes:
I, like many other UW-Madison students, regularly enjoy reading the Wednesday shout outs. However, one particular shout out in this week's Badger Herald was of particular concern to me. The shout out read: "Shout Out to calling the Rape Crisis Center after getting pounded in the ass by two particularly difficult exams."
The shout out is concerning as it not only mocks the Rape Crisis Center's services, but also downplays the severity of rape. On a campus where statistics show that one in four women will be a rape victim by the time she graduates, it is especially important to be perceptive and aware of the severity of this crime. Using the term "rape" so freely is inappropriate not only because it negates the severity of the crime, but also because it denies any sensitivity to rape victims.
As a primary news source for students on campus, the Badger Herald is a publication that is widely read by and influences the student body. Including a shout out that mocks the Rape Crisis Center's services and downplays the severity of rape, a crime that UW-Madison has already seen too much of, is simply not responsible journalism. While I understand that shout outs are submitted by students and not made by the Badger Herald staff, it is the responsibility of your publication to choose shout outs that are not damaging to the student body, and this one is.
When the headline making sexual assault behind Ian's Pizza occurred in September, the Badger Herald staff did an excellent job of covering the story in a way that was not only respectful to the victim, but also informative to readers. However, choosing this particular shout out to print in Wednesday's newspaper was not respectful to anyone involved. As a devout reader, I would really like to see the Badger Herald's journalistic style to continue to be respectful and cognizant of issues on our campus, and avoid publishing future shout outs that are damaging to students.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Abby Newcomb
Abby L. Newcomb
PAVE Campus Outreach Coordinator
[email protected]