This article isn’t about the #MeToo movement and trying to draw out the fakes. With over 17 million posts among 80 countries—they must be saying something. And even if 20% are found to be false, that’s still an overarching theme. No, this article isn’t about that—it’s about journalistic slander and what could happen to you.
A new movement, that has nothing to do with the above, is afoot for survivors of media abuse. The hashtag is already reserved and victims are welcome to post. The message is clear: public figures should be entitled to a reasonable defense before being hung out to dry.
Let’s use the example of Megan Tilley, student council representative in Hogsburg Virginia who accidentally forgot to feed the school pet. Megan was vilified in the school paper until one day — ahh, let’s get to Patrick Brown.
Patrick Brown
We’re not going to play lawyer or bash drunk people not conciliatory with sex. Let’s make just one point. If the allegations say there were only two people involved, it should be ethically possible for Patrick to defend himself before CTV takes the story to air.
#HeToo should be allowed to bear witness and the media should take him serious, especially when only two people were in the room. Plus you can’t tell him at 2:00, and then fry him at 4:00. This guy should have been given a few days to put together a case.
The public reacts strongly to this type of smearing because we assign credibility to the source. It’s not the Hollywood press. And for most, it means the end of a career. So whatever the motive, we need a paradigm for dealing with this—basically, a journalistic protocol for taking someone down. How about a system like this: CTV receives the allegation, does their investigation, decides Patrick should fry, contacts Patrick, lets him plead his case, fries him anyway, but allows Patrick a small column to defend himself. This way readers know some quality was involved.
Ethics
Pork producers aren’t allowed to rest on their honour. Inspectors are ever present to ensure standards get met. Same with much of the construction industry and airlines. But journalism regulates itself. And though it’s widely believed that legislation would never work in this field, there must be a cultural ring around freedom of the press. Codes of conduct should be determined and it wouldn’t be bad for the courts to weigh in. Because Canada, we need to get this right.
Democracy requires an environment where candidates feel comfortable to run. And though a lot of people see this as a postmodernist trick to get more women elected, I have news for you. They’ve expanded misbehaviour to include verbal abuse (and we know who has more ghosts in that closet). Besides, all little Megan did was forget to feed a fish.
I sure hope Patrick sues and gets the law involved because we do need a protocol for taking a guy down. Personally, I’m not worried since I’ve led an exemplary life. There’s nothing in my past that CTV could pin on me. No, I’m perfectly safe. I’m just worried about you.