Talk to the Press
There are many journalists and outlets that are interested in shedding light on consent violations, but it comes with many risks.
What are the benefits?
Telling your story in the press can put a lot of pressure on those who violated your consent to respond.
Telling your story publicly might be a way of alerting those who employ or partner with the offender.
Telling your story in the press can raise larger issues beyond your particular case. It can help put pressure on an industry to change.
It may be possible to tell your story anonymously.
It can help alert others in the community about potential danger.
Speaking about the incident publicly can be therapeutic for some people.
What are the potential risks?
You could be sued for defamation. This could set you back financially and emotionally. Unfortunately, suing survivors has become a tactic of offenders to pressure the survivor to take back their statement.
You might be disbelieved or attacked for coming forward. That can include people who are close to both you and the offender.
You could potentially face discrimination in housing, banking, employment, or other areas of your life as a result of public attention.
You could lose work if others in the industry worry that you might potentially speak to the press again about them.
A journalist might frame your story in a way you didn’t intend, or share details that you didn’t mean to be public. You have no guarantee that the journalist will present your story as you want it told.
If you chose to bring a legal case later, your story in the press may work against you, depending on what you say and how you’re quoted.
You have no control over the life of your article. In some cases, it could be seen on national television.
A journalist could use your legal name without your consent.
A journalist may not be interested in your story.
What else should I know?
Most journalists are active on Twitter, and will frequently have open DMs or provide a confidential way to reach them.
There are no guarantees that a journalist will be interested in writing a story, and may not respond at all. Even if a journalist is interested, their editor could refuse the story.
If you’re interested in talking with the press, review a journalist’s previous work, especially as it relates to sex, consent, and sex work.
Everything you say or write to the journalist is on-the-record, from your initial email or DM to text messages and phone calls, and can appear as a quote in the finished article — unless they formally agree otherwise before you start talking.
For information on how to protect yourself when going public, visit the ACLU's article on Staying Safe When You Say #MeToo".
How can I prepare?
Free Speech Coalition offers free media training for performers who are interested in, or concerned about talking with the press. Please contact [email protected] for more information.