The headline writer was trying to draw attention to important court testimony involving an alleged abuse of power, a case where consent, and the ability to give consent, will likely play a key role in the final outcome.
There was no intent to blame or judge the complainant, or to imply she was responsible for what happened.
But that’s how, understandably, many of you interpreted it.
We’ve listened to your outrage and learned from it.
Our journalists, to a person, show up each day ready to hold those in power to account, ready to fight for those who have been wronged and ready to make our society better.
They work extremely hard at doing these things.
No one on our team would ever intentionally choose words to aggravate a victim’s suffering or, as some are implying, perpetuate rape culture.
That goes against everything we stand and fight for.
As part of our pursuit, we’re always ready to listen to our community.
We’ve heard you on this and plan to take action to improve in this area.
Steve Bartlett is managing editor of The Telegram. Reach him at [email protected].
