USA: A new low — objectification of women journalists is no joke
January 22, 2020 — The Coalition For Women In Journalism finds Republican senator Peter Lucido’s comments about journalist Allison Donahue disgusting and disturbing. We support Allison for confronting Lucido by writing about the harassment she was subjected to. Swift action must be taken against the culprit so that his actions may not embolden others.
Allison was reporting from the Senate on the day of the incident. In order to speak with Lucido, she stood outside the Michigan Senate chamber to request his comments on a story claiming he was a member of a violent Facebook group created against Michigan Democrats and Muslims, which has since been deleted.
Instead of taking the query as an opportunity to respond to the report, Lucido chose to objectify the journalist in front of young boys from high school. He asked Allison to wait while he honored the group of all-boys’ high school students.
Allison wrote about the entire ordeal for Michigan Advance — the newspaper she works for. She was turning to walk away when the Senator said, “You should hang around! You could have a lot of fun with these boys, or they could have a lot of fun with you.”
“The teenagers burst into an Old Boys’ Network-type of laughter, and I walked away knowing that I had been the punchline of their “locker room” talk. Except it wasn’t the locker room; it was the Senate chamber. And this isn’t high school. It’s my career,” she wrote in her report.
Allison is 22 years old and is one of the youngest journalists reporting from the Capitol. The way she had been treated is not only disgraceful for the Republicans but also for the Senate as an institution. This kind of incident must not be taken lightly.
We, at The Coalition, demand that Lucido’s behavior should not be shrugged off as a harmless joke. In fact, it should be dealt with in a serious manner, followed by a harsh penalty for others to learn a lesson. No powerful man should be given the liberty to use innuendos when talking to women. It is high time for women journalists to stand up against anyone who has verbally and physically harassed them.
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The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world, and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
Follow us on Instagram @womeninjournalism and Twitter @CFWIJ. Our website is WomenInJournalism.org and we can be reached at press@womeninjournalism.org
