Rape in the news: what Indians think
Introducing I Think. Let’s listen. To us
It is difficult to escape news of rape and sexual violence today. Much happens across India; much is reported in the news media.
What do Indians make of this reportage? How do we, the citizens, respond to the stories of sexual offences that filter through to us every day?
What do we look for in the news media, what do we want to see?
At NewsTracker, we have wondered about that. And realised, only too quickly, that we don’t really know.
So today we launch a new section to ask these questions — I Think.
I Think is about listening to India, recording what Indians think of the everyday reporting of rape and sexual violence.
For our first edition, we spoke to three Indians — Sapna Sera Abraham, a theatre artist from Chennai; Rudolf C Heredia, a priest in New Delhi; and Bharati Sharma, an academic in Ahmedabad.
“When I discuss a story that I read with my friends or colleagues,” said Sapna, “each one has a grosser story to tell compared to mine.”
As a society, we have stopped responding to rape, said Rudolf C Heredia. “It’s like accidents on the Mumbai local are no longer news because they happen everyday,” he told our reporter. “Rape is starting to become like that.”
“Yes, rapes should be reported,” said Bharati. “But the numbers make one feel as if every girl who steps out of the house is raped, which is not true. There must be a balance.”
In the coming days we will bring you more thoughts, more people — from different places, different walks of life.
And if you have an opinion that you think we should publish — a comment, a critique, a message for the media, perhaps a wish list of what you would like to see different in your newspaper— please email us your submission at newstracker@maar.in, with the subject line ‘I Think’.
Your piece should be in first person, less than 250 words, and focus on your views on what you — as a news consumer, a member of public — think of the reporting of rape and sexual violence you see in the news media.
Let’s all listen.
Let’s listen to us.
