Libel. Sensationalized. Published without consent.
Are you uncomfortable yet? You should be. This is the kind of reporting The DePauw does.
In response to the editorial and article published in the last edition of The DePauw, I want to explain the highly unethical manner in which the article about date rape was published. As one of the sources exploited by this publication, I deserve the right to expose the reality of this reporting and to address the real problem with rape culture at DePauw.
According to the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics, the first rule of professional journalism is, "Test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error. Deliberate distortion is never permissible." The DePauw and the author violated this ethical code by publishing a story about my experience as a rape victim with my real name and without my consent.
In November 2013 I gave an interview to the author with the exclusive condition of anonymity. I was promised that the interview would only be used for a class research paper. Imagine my shock to see my private interview smeared across the front page of Tuesday's The DePauw. Imagine what it feels like to have every detail of your horrific and immensely private experience open for the world to see. Not only have I been put through hell, my family and friends have now had to suffer on behalf of a sloppy, unethical piece of journalism. You have exploited me, and what for?
The DePauw wants to talk about rape. Then let's talk about rape. I can tell you drugs and alcohol are not the underlying problem. It's the perpetuation of rape culture by students, faculty and staff at our university.
Rape culture is society speculating about my sobriety and clothing choice instead of asking why my rapist did it. Rape culture is your sorority sister refusing to testify on your behalf, because it might hurt their reputation. Rape culture is anyone who treats you like a piece of glass because you must be powerless if you were raped. Rape culture is my personal nightmare that if the whole campus knew about my rape experience, I would be alienated and judged and made to relive my attack. Rape culture is a student newspaper naming the victim while my perpetrator walks unnamed and free of consequence. .
While The DePauw applauds itself for raising awareness, it has perpetuated the exact cause of rape culture at DePauw. The DePauw violated my right to choose when and how I get to tell my story, much like my rapist took away my right to choose when and how I want to engage in sexual activity. Blaming drugs or alcohol for the rape at DePauw is the easy way out. It completely negates that there is a serious behavioral and cultural issue on this campus that needs to be changed. Women and men alike on this campus perpetuate rape culture. We are all complicit. "Friends" that tell a victim to hide his or her story and to cover up the memory encourage the belief that the victim should be ashamed, not the rapist. It means that when women and men are raped, they are told to keep quiet and take the blame. Silence allows this behavior to go unregulated. Victims should be allowed to speak out on their own terms.
For all sources hurt by this story, I hope you feel some sense of peace. While the very private details chronicled in this article can't be taken back or unseen, we have to find the silver lining. We have to be allowed to heal.