Reporting leads to reforms of ‘archaic’ N.C. sexual assault laws
North Carolina was the only state with the “rape law loophole” — legally, consent couldn’t be taken back once given. And if a survivor were under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the assault wouldn’t be considered a rape. Now, thanks to a Carolina Public Press-led collaboration among 11 TV, radio, digital and print newsrooms across North Carolina, laws that opponents called “archaic” have been reformed.
The story originated when Carolina Public Press Executive Director and Editor Angie Newsome heard in a casual conversation that a district attorney wasn’t prosecuting any sexual assault cases. She wanted to know if that was true — and, if so, whether it was happening elsewhere in the state. An investigation over more than six months found that more than 30 of the state’s 100 counties had no sexual assault convictions, even on reduced charges.
The main barrier in producing the first story was combing through four-and-a-half years of court data, which needed intensive data cleaning. TV station WRAL and public radio station WUNC shared their skills and resources with Carolina Public Press to sort through the data.
While that was happening, Carolina Public Press hosted forums in different parts of the state to hear from sexual assault prevention advocates, domestic violence centers, policy experts, law enforcement officials and survivors themselves. Some told their stories for the first time and connected with other survivors and people in their community who had resources to help.
“These women came to these listening sessions who had never told anyone outside their family what had happened to them, had never gotten any help, who were (now) just physically surrounded by people who were reaching out to them and offering services,” Newsome said. “I kind of felt, if we never write a word on this, I felt like we’ve made an impact because we convened that group of people.”
About 30 people worked on the project, including reporters, event planners and web developers, before the stories rolled out on four consecutive days in March, getting more than 1.5 million views. All 11 partners shared each others’ stories, and multiple other outlets, in and outside of North Carolina, picked up the story. Newsome said she immediately started hearing from readers who wanted to know what they could do to change the laws.
Three followup forums across the state brought together officials and survivors, among others, to discuss the findings. Reporters and editors talked about how they did the story and took questions about why it was not produced sooner and potential solutions.
A bill closing the rape law loopholes passed unanimously in the state Senate and House on Oct. 31 after months of followup stories by news outlets.
For Newsome, the collaboration and covering the story itself have been incredibly powerful.
“I try to be circumspect about expressing my emotions about it but as a woman in North Carolina and as a mother of two daughters, it was very emotional,” she said.
“Truly to see this type of impact on North Carolina, it’s incredible. It’s truly a highlight of my career as a journalist,” she said.
“It shows what a small group of people can do.”
____
This is the fifth in a series taking you behind the scenes of stories selected by the Institute for Nonprofit News’ Best of Nonprofit News 2019 because of their high impact. Reporting like this takes time and money but builds trust between journalists and the public. This news matters! And without your financial support, stories like this go untold. If you would like to support this kind of high-quality reporting, please donate to Carolina Public Press or similar newsrooms in your area. From now until Dec. 31, your gift will be doubled by NewsMatch. And a gift to INN will help us nurture and support these newsrooms year-around. All money raised will contribute to journalism that creates change, informs communities and holds those in power accountable.
