Missing the real sex story
I suppose I am just a typical male tabloid hack after all. On my way to a talk about “Prostitution and the Media” at the Women’s Library in Whitechapel in London’s East End all I could think of was how ironic it was to have the debate in the very streets where Jack The Ripper stalked and murdered prostitutes in the 19th century.
How much has changed since then? The new Guardian Women’s editor, Kira Cochrane listed various gory clichés trotted out by all sections of the press about prostitutes in the last year. She also related some awful stories of abuse that hadn’t made it past a media still more interested in the happy hooker narratives peddled by Bel De Jour. And then Channel 4’s Head of news and Current Affairs Dorothy Byrne showed some of C4’s gory but realistic coverage of the real lives of prostitutes. Of course, both C4 and the Guardian are basically feminist outlets so we would expect them to take that approach. But Dorothy Byrne, who is a very experienced current affairs producer in her own right, made the really good point that news editors and hacks seem to lose all their normal news judgements when prostitution comes up. They either ignore it as ‘yucky’ or treat is as a ‘sex’ story. It is actually a really important social affairs story. It effects thousands of women and men and causes untold misery. It goes to the heart of any understanding of illegal people and drug trafficking – both growing issues. And yet it’s always treated as a cliché. Is it because we don’t like talking about something so sordid? Or is it because it’s seen as ‘the oldest profession’ and so it is always with us, like the poor?
Well that’s just poor journalism. You could have said the same about paedophilia, smoking or school dinners. The media treated those stories as real policy issues worth tracking in a serious way with proper reporting and analysis. And, lo and behold, the stories were moved on and reality changed.
Prostitution deserves the same treatment and then, who knows?, there may even be an impact on the ghastly reality. �
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October 9th, 2006 at 11:56 am
I’m not normally one of those ranting feminist types – I tend to think that feminism has done its job and that we’ve moved beyond a simplistic masculinist/ feminist dichotomous way of thinking. But I couldn’t help noticing how few men turned up to what was a thought-provoking and insightful discussion at the Women’s Library. I have been impressed by recent in-depth reporting of male prostitution (see for example http://observer.guardian.co.uk/focus/story/0,,1827032,00.html) – including thorough coverage from both male prostitute and female sex tourist perspectives. I wonder – and I echo what Kira Cochrane and Dorothy Byrne were saying – why the same balance can’t be applied to stories about female prostitution? Why are no male journalists interested? Why is the male perspective so rarely featured in coverage of female prostitution? Prostitution is indeed a really important social affairs story, but until we can learn to address it as a society – and that means men too – then little progress will be made.
December 27th, 2006 at 11:13 pm
Americans finally realize the try-before-you-buy works just as well with sex as it does with commodities. Rather than marrying and then shacking up with hot sex coming after the nuptuals, Americans are increasingly putting out before putting on the wedding rings.Women are just as likely as men to get it on before matrimony.
I think this is just the sign of the times. I mean, we like to test things, try them out, before making a purchase. Why should sex and marriage be any different? The stigma associated with pre-marital sex is dead. Long live free love!
March 13th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
If anyone thinks that feminism has done its job I’m worried and any concern about how few men attended the talk is a worry which is so insignificant against the backdrop of the sweeping statement that feminism is done with. I sense a dismissal of real living political issues which is inspired by a media invaded post feminism which has, it seems, convinced even intelligent women that feminism is dead and life is rosy!! Also.. Long live free love.. ha, free love – wake up and well those roses! Don’t get me wrong I know how to laugh.