Originally posted by beholder3 The disgusting "photographer" stuff is reported by the New York Times, based on 15 persons' statements
... who've waited until now to come forward. All 15 may well be telling the truth completely. Or, just one or two may be telling the truth, with others jumping on the bandwagon or encouraged by their colleagues to lend support. Then again, between one and fifteen of them may be telling partial truths. And maybe some or all of them were complicit in what went on, and now either regret their past actions or see an opportunity for publicity and / or financial gain through media fees and law suits.
Someone has to initiate a sexual act, and the other party (a) agrees because they're happy to engage in it (and may in fact have encouraged it), (b) agrees because they think it's expected, (c) lets it happen out of fear for their safety if they don't comply, or (d) rejects the advance verbally or physically. Whilst the personal initiating the act may be doing so inappropriately (and that depends on so many factors), the actions of the other party in response play a big part in the transaction.
I'm not saying these models are lying, nor am I saying that the photographers aren't guilty - they may well be. What I'm saying is that we don't know enough of the circumstances and each individual's actions and motives to conclude yet, if ever, that there has been any wrongdoing - and if so, to what extent.
My issue isn't with a specific channel of information - be it social media, "very good" (how do we know that?) investigative journalism, or other. It's the fact that allegations and names have been made public, globally, and that casts a pall over those against whom they've been made, before they've been investigated by the authorities. There's a saying that goes "Don't believe everything you read in the press" (or something like that), but unfortunately many, many people do believe everything they read. For them, these photographers are already guilty just because of the newspaper article(s). And if Twitter isn't already alive with tweets and re-tweets about these allegations, you can bet it won't take long, at which point the stories will become gossip and take on lives of their own, spread far and wide for all to see, and immortalised on the web.
... and all this before any official investigations, rulings and actions have been taken.
How would you feel if a newspaper published a story about you, because a girl you knew back in college had made allegations that you sexually attacked her? I wonder what you'd think of the "very good investigative journalism" (and subsequent social media storm) that didn't wait for court rulings, plastering your name and photo all over the front pages with disgusting stories of acts you didn't commit, and have no way of proving so all these years later.
I'd rather the investigative journalists simply gave their findings to the authorities and waited for an outcome before publishing stories.
News and social media has become a global "kangaroo court" formed of the general public, and it wrecks people's lives and reputations, even if they turn out to be innocent. It's wrong... very, very wrong.