Woman with fear in her eyes and other symbolism

Below is a very important observational piece published in The Wire on how rape victims and rapists are portrayed in the media. Naresh Prerna has done a careful study and highlighted a major problem that we in the media usually overlook. Or worse, we actually allow such portrayals to be made.

https://thewire.in/media/sexuality-violence-image-graphic-media

The woman with fear in her eyes sitting in a corner and the perpetrator in silhouette, towering over her. This is the general symbolism. Prerna also writes about the dark corner, the rapist in the shadows, the pull on the heart strings of the viewer.

This is an issue we rarely think about. News is the here and now. Deal with it, move on, and focus on what’s next. But underneath that is the attitude toward women in the media and women in newsrooms. No Me Too movement has managed to do more than scratch the surface of built-in misogyny.

The occasional success only serves to underscore the many losses. Last month, the Indian American Muslim Council chose photojournalist Umar Altaf Para for its annual Human Rights and Religious Freedom Journalism Award. No sooner had the announcement been made than a number of women stood up to say that Para was a serial abuser. Sexual harassment under the guise of work, constant bombardment with calls and messages, stalking, sending unsolicited intimate photos.

After receiving all these complaints, the Network of Women in Media, India filed a complaint with the Indian American Muslim Council:

NWMI Demands Time-Bound Inquiry into Abuse by HRRFJ Awardee

To their credit, the council withdrew the award with the following statement:

“In light of several serious allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct involving Umar Altar Para… the committee has decided to revoke this year’s award…

“After careful consideration, the Commission treated these allegations with the utmost seriousness and concluded that the most appropriate course of action was to revoke the award.”

https://x.com/NWM_India/status/1832329510823272607/photo/1

The tragedy is that this rapid response to sexual misconduct complaints is the exception. In the media, it’s nearly impossible to find. The number of female journalists who privately discuss newsroom predators is legion. Many say they hope to one day find the strength to go public. But most of the time, some of us wonder if it’s worth it. Because the cost is usually borne by the victim. Go back to that image of the cowering woman and the towering rapist.

And let’s not forget that the men’s club will close ranks, and women who are perpetrators-victims of the patriarchy will support them. Every now and then we have to check that we’re not that woman. The woman who doesn’t even realize what she’s doing. The “Not All Men” type of woman.

I worked for a newspaper for years—and make no mistake, I loved working there—that always carried a picture of a scantily clad woman. You get to the newsroom, you make a few weak comments of disapproval, you move on. You hear all the arguments about objectification, about how some women want to be objectified and that they have a right to be. You try to include similar pictures of men, to balance out the exploitation. Today I know, and I haven’t said or done enough. In the days before the Internet and easy access to porn, or with constant streams of misogyny on the web, we were playing to the male need to dominate. The coher and the tower.

We still need to ask ourselves how far we as women in media have really come. How often do we allow male privilege – in the blatant argument of “being fair” – and how often do we condone male entitlement. And how sad it is that many men understand this before some of us women do. They know themselves better than we do. We need to find that strength to close the door when necessary.

Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She writes on MxMIndia on Tuesdays and Fridays. Her views expressed here are personal.