Why Is the Media Glossing Over Child Rape?

A “sex scandal” suggests consensual sex between adults. The term is wholly inadequate and misleading in the case of the Penn State story.

Poynter delves into the media’s insistence to label the Penn State child rape and alleged underage sex trafficking scandal as a “sex scandal.”

The monster and child predator, Jerry Sandusky.

Memo to headline writers: Child sex abuse is not a ‘sex scandal’

Spurred by Xeni Jardin’s tweet about coverage of charges of child sexual abuse at Penn State — “A ‘sex scandal’ is when someone has an affair. Raping children is something else” — I looked for examples of news outlets using the phrase. A few headlines culled from Google News:

• “Hyde5: Five thoughts on the Penn State sex scandal (SunSentinel.com)
• “What parents can learn from the nightmarish Penn State sex scandal” (NJ.com)
• “Penn State sex scandal: New details” (ABC News)
• “Penn State sex scandal engulfing revered Joe Paterno” (Associated Press)
• “Amazon is hit by fallout from the Penn State sex scandal” (The Christian Science Monitor)
• “NCAA President Mark Emmert unlikely to punish Penn State for alleged sex scandal” (Daily News)

Nearly every media outlet is calling this a “sex scandal.”

Huffington Post: The Penn State Sex Scandal: It’s About Leadership

Fox: Penn State’s Top Recruit Backs Away from Commitment Amid Sex Scandal

ABC: Penn State Sex Scandal Spreads to Texas?

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Original source.