Speaking Out in the British Media
Recently there has been a movement within the wrestling and video game communities called the #speakingout movement where victims of sexual harassment and abuse have spoken out and posted about the abusers or the abuse. This has already started to take effect in major ways with people like wrestlers David Starr and Jack Gallagher losing their jobs or Ubisoft suspending 2 executives pending further investigation. The effects have hit many different names and industries but it asks the question why has the various movements from MeToo to the SpeakingOut movement only ever affected the entertainment industries and not for instance the media or Politics.
Throughout the past number of years I've been collecting stories and messages from various people in the media and politics about the behaviors of the people inside those sectors. I've heard from countless people who wish to remain anonymous about the way those in power abuse that power and how the powers that be help to hide these behaviors, protecting the abusers in question from any consequences whilst the media at large maintain an omerta. Stories such as a journalist for a national publication who had to be moved to the sports section because of his behavior around young women and interns to editors sleeping with the staff and giving them preferential treatment in terms of columns and position. We have famous journalists who’s behavior around women is well known and very much an open secret for years, who has been blacklisted from many publications being allowed to carry on like nothing is happening whilst staff have to warn new hires to stay away from him. We have prominent journalists who have been accused of date rape and grabbing young journalist and interns being held up as paragons of virtue and respectability
This is not only confined to the media but to politics as well, such as a senior politician who had to be warned several times at various party events to stop grabbing women. I have had reports about mps grabbing and touching constituents in their offices as well as verbal harassment in emails and Twitter DMs. There are rumours of senior MPs’s protecting figures from serious allegations and as well as Lords harassing women for years whilst the party constantly parries away any accusations by buying off the woman on question.
During the height of the #Metoo movement there was only one British journalist who faced any sort of consequences for their behavior in Rupert Myers. In an industry rife with allegations and stories how can it be that only one journalist was ever held accountable for his actions, actions that has largely been ignored since with Myers trying to make a comeback pretending nothing ever happened.
I have not named any names here because I do not feel it is my place to do so but rather that of the victims of these men who should be allowed to tell their stories. I am only writing this to say that we know about these stories and we know what is going on and to provide a sense of solidarity with those victims and to call out those who turn a blind eye.