-important social issue

-problem on college campuses as well as elsewhere

-two case studies: 1) Adam Lack and 2) Bill Clinton

-subject provokes strong emotions (controversial topic)

-role of media in covering these types of matters (naming names; checking facts)

Date Rape
-situation when casual encounters cross the line into sexual assault
-according to FBI statistics, only 23 percent of rapes involve strangers (grabbed on dark street)
-rape more likely to come at hands of acquaintances (40 percent of all rapes), boyfriends or husbands (29 percent), or another relative (8 percent)

The Media Issue
-how should date rape be covered by the media, and if so how?
-how to assess credibility of different parties to the event?
-what information is fair-game for reporting? Names, dating histories, mental condition, sexual experience?

The Case of William Kennedy Smith
-Easter weekend, 1991 in Palm Beach, Florida
-Senator Ted Kennedy could not sleep so we awoke son Patrick and nephew William Kennedy Smith to go to a bar
-William picks up a woman and takes back to Kennedy house on the beach
-they have sex on the beach. He claims it is consensual, but she goes to the police and files rape charges
-after saturation media coverage, case goes to trial and jury acquits Smith of sexual assault charge

-Smith admitted sexual relationship, but said it was consensual

-date rape trials generally feature competing claims of "he said, she said" (one party admits sex but claims it is consensual, while other charges rape)

-example of how DNA testing altered court strategies -physical evidence can document sexual activity, but not prove motivation or intent

-presents new complications for media coverage of sexual assault

Brown University attracted national attention in 1996 when it suspended student Adam Lack for sexual misconduct in regard to an allegation of date rape. Correspondent John Stoessel of ABC news show 20/20 filmed this segment which was broadcast March 28, 1997. It includes interviews with Lack and student activists as well as scenes from a rally protesting university handling of date rape issues on the campus green.

Key Questions in Brown Case
-What is your evaluation of the Brown Daily Herald and Providence Journal reporting on the Brown case?

-What ABC show 20/20? Responsible journalism? Fair coverage? Any biases or problems in how events covered?

On February 24, 1999, NBC broadcast a report alleging that Bill Clinton raped an Arkansas women named Juanita Broaddrick two decades ago. The segment has interviews with Ms. Broaddrick and materials gathered during the course of correspondent Lisa Myers' investigation of the charges. The video was not broadcast until after the Senate vote on removing Clinton from office.

Key Questions about the Clinton case
-Should NBC have waited until after the Senate impeachment trial of President Clinton to broadcast this report?
-Is it fair for the media to name names during sexual assault cases and delve into the sexual histories of the individuals involved in the case?

-is it reasonable to report accusations 20 years after the alleged event?

1) illustrates new style of journalism, especially on TV news magazines

-use personal stories to discuss broader social issues

2) access to one side of dispute, but not the other

-ramifications for coverage

-whether story tilts one way or another

-issue not limited to date rape cases, but wide range of types of coverage

3) shows variety of ways news stories are broken today

-Clinton story circulated on Internet and tabloids

-then picked up by mainstream outlets

-each had own angle on charges

4) impact on audience

-Broaddrick charges had no discernible effect

-10% increase in NBC ratings

-Clinton retained high poll numbers

-what should the statute of limitations be for date rape? Drug use? Sexual harassment? Hate crimes?

-do contemporary changes in nature of American mass media (fragmentation, tabloidization, and profit pressures)

improve coverage of controversial social issues?

-you are a network television correspondent. Someone comes to you and tells you the governor of a large state raped someone 20 years ago in college. What do you do? It is two months before the individual's re-election effort.

-how do you know whether this is a legitimate news story or an unfair smear campaign designed by political opponents?