AN INTERDISCIPLINARY ANALYSIS OF THE MEDIA’S PORTRAYAL OF

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN LEGAL CASES, SUCH AS THE JIAN

GHOMESHI TRIAL, AND ITS IMPACT ON UNDER REPORTING OF ABUSE

By

JENELLE RENNER

Integrated Studies Final Project Essay (MAIS 700)

submitted to Dr. Angela Specht

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Arts – Integrated Studies

Athabasca, Alberta

April, 2016

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AN INTERDISCIPLINARY ANALYSIS OF THE MEDIA’S PORTRAYAL OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN LEGAL CASES, SUCH AS THE JIAN GHOMESHI TRIAL, AND ITS IMPACT ON UNDER REPORTING OF ABUSE

Table of Contents

Abstract……………………………………………………………………………...Page 3 Introduction………………………………………………………………………….Page 4 Research Method…………………………………………………………………….Page 5 Disciplinary Perspectives and Insights………………………………………...…….Page 6 1. Media and Communication Problems in Truth and Subjectivity in Representation: Sensational Journalism and Rape Culture A General Look at Media’s role in Normalizing and Perpetuating Violence: Humor as a Tool for Desensitization The Media’s impact on the Public’s Perception of Offenders and Victims of Sexual Assault Victim Blaming in Media Narratives Covering Sexual Assaults Problems with Coverage and Lack of Consistency in Media Support 2. Psychology Self-Blame and Internalization of Abuse Possible Reasons for “Irrational Actions” of Alleged Victims of Assault The Re-victimization from Going Public in a Trial Rape Culture and The Ghomeshi Trial The Cycle of Abuse in the Ghomeshi Trial 3. Law/Political Science Gaps in the Criminal Code How the Media Coverage Affects Potential Perpetrators Conflicts, Common Ground and Integration……………………...……………..…Page 20 Potential For Change & Future Study………………………….….……………….Page 21 Conclusion…………………………………………………….…….……………...Page 22 Work Cited………………………………………………………….…....………...Page 24

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ABSTRACT

For victims, abuse does not end after the assault; “it continues with society’s punishment, which is rarely more merciful than the violent crime itself” (Hamwe, Jasem Al 2011). The media’s portrayal of violence against women, and in particular the Jian Ghomeshi trial, deploy and represent cultural values, bias, stereotypes, and normative discourses. The representations are powerful because women and victims of violence often read censorship, implications and dominant patterns in the media representations. These representations also have great potential to further traumatize other victims of sexual assaults as the presentation of sexual assaults often force survivors to relive past experiences, trigger emotional responses, and doubt or internalize their own abuse. In an attempt to answer how the media’s representation of violence against women contributes to the under reporting of abuse, an interdisciplinary discussion stemming from the disciplines of Media and Communication, Psychology, Gender Studies, and Law/Political Science are used.

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Introduction

The United Nations (UN) reports that one in five women will be subject to rape or attempted rape in her lifetime (Burn 31). It is challenging to acquire accurate statistics on prevalence of sexual assault on women because it is often underreported for a variety of reasons. Some of the reasons a woman does not report her sexual assault or rape are: shame surrounding an attack, societies acceptance and ignorance of rape, potential exile from community or family, and lack of economic, legal support or women services.

Accurate statistics of the growing phenomena would ideally promote better government and social support and intervention. Ideally, statistics would promote better laws and enforcement; change societal attitude towards rape, sexual assault, and violence against women; combat rape culture; provide awareness and encourage accessibility to women services.

Researching natural sciences and social sciences calls for an interdisciplinary approach and requires crossing of disciplinary boundaries. Unfortunately the complexity of nature and society is inherently complicated, ill structured and not readily solved

(Repko 33). Multiple perspectives are necessary when addressing complex problems like sexual assault and media representation. It is important to combine research and integrate existing practices and knowledge when addressing complicated issues. All sources and disciplines have limits. They cannot address all avenues, knowledge, and perspectives.

Also to avoid bias, assess the complex problems posed by theorists within the disciplines and point out inaccurate or simplistic reasoning, multiple sources were examined, critically reviewed and applied. Renner 5

A reoccurring trend in the research is rape culture. Nick Montgomery, writes on how the Ghomeshi ordeal reveals a rape culture. Jian Ghomeshi was a former band member for Moxy Fruvous and host of a show on CBC called Q. He was let go by CBC in 2014 when they saw “graphic evidence” that he physically injured a woman. He then went public in saying that he engaged in “rough but consensual” sex with women. This sparked three complainants to come forward with allegations against Mr. Ghomeshi taking place between December 2002 and July 2003. He was charged with three counts of sexual assault and one count of choking. The trial went from February 1st to February

11th and on March 24th Justice William Horkins found Mr. Ghomeshi not guilty, based largely on inconsistencies in the complainant testimonies. Rape culture is “anything that normalizes unwanted, nonconsensual sex,” or in other words, rape culture is “anything that makes rape seem like it is not really rape” (Kirby 2013), (Montgomery 2014). Rape culture is circulated and disseminated through jokes, TV, music, advertising legal jargon, laws, words, and imagery, that make violence against women and sexual coercion seem so normal that people think rape is inevitable (Montgomery 2014).

When victims of sexual assaults are exposed to trials such as Jian Ghomeshi’s, where the victim/complainant is deployed as complicit or consenting, or as deserving of what has happened, it potentially then discourages others to consider if they want to go through the same types of process.

Research Method

An interdisciplinary research approach that incorporates secondary resources from a range of theorists in each discipline (Media and Communication, Psychology, Gender

Studies, and Law/Political Science) provides a comprehensive review of current literature Renner 6 relevant from each discipline. An interdisciplinary approach is required for many reasons.

First, the problem is complex and encompasses many components that all stem from different disciplinary characters. Also, a variety of scholars and theorists from differing disciplines have produced important insights into the problem and multiple insights need to be integrated to ensure that a more comprehensive understanding of the phenomena is formed. In addition, no single disciplinary expert or theory can address or solve this problem in full.

Disciplinary Perspectives and Insights

Media and Communication

Media and Communication Studies examine how people use messages to generate meanings within and across various contexts, cultures, and technologies. Applied to how the media influences victims to report abuse, findings within this discipline suggest that the meanings conveyed in media forms often condone or minimize violence against women which discourage victims of abuse to report. Popular media shapes social and cultural values and have a direct bearing on how individuals and the public perceive and respond to domestic violence issues (Nettelton 5). The media’s exposure of violence against women can desensitize people to social problems like intimate partner abuse or other types of violence against women. The media’s treatment of abuse can also make the abuse seem less problematic and obscure perceptions for victims. The standard media representation of sexual assault uses “shrill headlines,” and the comments and coverage use re-victimizing language and images (Doe 2016). It is important to note however, that in the representation of the Ghomeshi trial, the media responded both positively and Renner 7 negatively. On one hand, the media used victim blaming to discredit the women accusing

Ghomeshi and appealed to Ghomeshi’s suave, well-respected, celebrity persona in media representation. On the other hand, after the verdict, an outcry of supporters initiated

#webelievesurvivors campaigns and forums were flooded with blogs and articles that demand changes are made to the criminal justice system and sexual assault legislation.

Reasons why women do not file a report with the police or agree to go on record are out of fear that they will be the object of Internet retaliation and online harassment

(North 2014). North explains that “those who speak up about sexual harassment or violence have long been subject to public scrutiny and criticism. But an onslaught of online abuse and threats has become a strikingly common response to women’s public statements” (North 2014). By no means is online abuse new to our society, however, in high profile cases such as Ghomeshi’s the abuse further discourages other victims to come forward.

Problems in Truth and Subjectivity in Representation: Sensational Journalism and

Rape Culture

The media knows that specific crime gains better ratings and sells more papers.

The more violent the crime, the more papers the media will sell. The media often strategically controls the public’s perception on the amount of crime that is around them, and may even distort or manipulate stories, by focusing on one aspect or leaving something out all together to attract readers (Cunningham, 2011).

Media coverage of violence against women often times promotes the idea that events happen to people who are different than “us”; blames the victims and/or excuses the perpetrator; and uses a frame that implies shock at how “normal” the perpetrator Renner 8 identified appears (Lira 2014; and, Gillespie et al., 2013). Lira elaborates on sensationalism and misconstrued representations explaining that the stories focus on “just the facts,” that favours a sensationalist view, where gruesome details – such as the number of times that victim was stabbed - or other specific details of the attack are highlighted (Lira 2014). To justify the actions of the perpetrator of the crime, jealousy or the use of drugs or alcohol is uncritically utilized in representations by the media. Popular language outlining abuse includes expressions like “from love to murder” or “crime of passion”, portraying the homicides as “love stories”” (Lira 2014).

A General Look at Media’s role in Normalizing and Perpetuating Violence: Humor as a Tool for Desensitization

As the rates of domestic violence, or intimate partner abuse, continue to rise, there is an immense need for increased academic literature on the impact media has on the phenomena. Similar themes in research find that the humorous portrayal of violence against women in the media, which often trivialize or make light of abuse, contribute to the normalization and perpetuation of violence against women and can perpetuate rape culture. Kohlman et al., explain that the media portrays sexism, devaluation of women, and violence against women in images and messages that further condone violence against women in private and public settings (Kohlman et al., 2014). The consistent portrayals of violence in the media can create public acceptance to abuse because,

“chronic and repeated exposure to domestic violence is believed to cause changes in affective, cognitive, and behavioral processes. Specifically, these effects are considered to foster adoption of desensitized thoughts and reactions to domestic violence” (Kohlman Renner 9 et al., 2014). Through comedic portrayal via news outlets, magazines, advertisements, and television shows, domestic violence and patriarchal attitudes are normalized. The casualness of sexist humor and language can be used to make women appear inferior to men as “humor allows insult and disrespect to enter dialogue in a disguised and deniable form” (Bemiller 2010). For example, the movies, 500 Days of Summer and There’s

Something About Mary can be understood to normalize violent behaviours such as stalking and intense fighting the abuse in the movies are seen as romantic gestures rather than dangerous and ominous behaviors (Garcia MM 2010). Researchers suggest that in order to combat the comedic portrayal of domestic violence in the media, there is a need for more research on the topic as well as a need for behavioral scientists to examine how the media irresponsibly shapes people’s perception of domestic violence through a lighthearted and comical fashion (Kohlman et al., 2014).

The Media’s impact on the Public’s Perception of Offenders and Victims of Sexual

Assault

Findings in “Shaping Perceptions by a Few Key Words: A Look at How the

Media Controls the Public's Perceptions of Rape and Domestic Violence Victims” suggest that rape and domestic violence victims are the least supported victims in our criminal justice system and are continuously re-victimized not only by the system but by the media’s presentation of sexual assault cases. The study examined forty-one newspaper articles and six blogs on six separate cases involving rape and domestic violence. In all sources Cunningham looked at how the "victim" and "offender" were portrayed in the articles. Results showed that the "offender" was “overwhelmingly shown in a positive light in majority of the articles coded,” whereas the "victim", “tended to be Renner 10 shown in a more negative manner and received very little support (if any).”

(Cunningham, 2011).

In addition, the media impacts the public’s perceptions of criminals by how they describe a perpetrator (e.g. “viciously attacked…” or “they were good boys…” etc.).

Using and manipulating these key words, the media can portray “images of a savage or a beast to create this fear or, in contrast, minimize the criminality to create a “he’s one of us” attitude thus not creating any fear towards the criminal, almost victimizing or humanizing them” (Cunningham 2011). Cunningham suggests that by using carefully chosen and impactful words the media controls how the public perceives victims of crime in the same manner.

This is true in many high profile sexual assault cases. But looking specifically at the Jian Ghomeshi trial, we see headlines that highlight Jian Ghomeshi’s celebrated media career earlier in the trial such as: "Ghomeshi Became Bigger than the CBC"

(Houpt, 2016), and ones that portray the victims negatively, such as: "Ghomeshi's

Lawyer: Witness Upset He Lost Interest” (Mehta and Perkel 2016), "Defense Questions

Reliability of Witness's Memory in Ghomeshi Trial" (Andrew-Gee 2016), "Ghomeshi

Trial: Alleged Victim Sent Flirtatious Emails despite Denials." (Gunn 2016), "If

Accusers Kept in Touch with Ghomeshi, Does It Matter?" (Mulholland 2016). A consistent pattern of rape culture is to “[promote] sympathy for perpetrators and their reputations.” Fans of the accused, including Norm Macdonald, defend Ghomeshi and portray the alleged victims as vindictive slanderers of Ghomeshi’s reputation

(Montgomery 2014). When the public sympathizes with the accused, “it shifts the focus toward doubt and disbelief, toward how unfortunate it would be if the accusations were Renner 11 untrue. It centers perpetrators as […] hapless victims of vindictive slander” (Montgomery

2014). That being said, some media sources present victims of sexual assaults more appropriately than others but there is still a long ways to go in terms of the polarizing tendency that characterizes most media representations.

Victim Blaming in Media Narratives Covering Sexual Assaults

Another tendency common in rape cultures is to “[promote] victim-blaming and suspicion” (Montgomery 2014). In hopes to gain sympathy, Ghomeshi provides a statement that suggests a freelance writer teamed up with a jealous ex in a conspiracy to ruin his reputation (Montgomery 2014). Montgomery points out that some of the most violent traits of rape culture are shown when victims come forward and misogynists bombard the women with abusive messages and abuse. Montgomery alludes to Anna

North’s overview of how each of the women accusing Ghomeshi cite the case of Carla

Ciccone as a reason they desire anonymity. Ciccone described a ‘bad date’ with an unidentified, but very popular radio host, on an online website: whom readers speculated to be Ghomeshi. Afterwards, Ciccone received hundreds of abusive messages and threats

(North 2014), (Montgomery 2014).

A way that a culture tolerates or condones violence against women is by victim blaming (Amirthalingam 686). When the media portrays victims negatively, the representations create “biases and distortions in news coverage of women as victims” and affect public policy (Carll 1601). Cunningham points out that most researchers believe that this “distortion” and “bias” can “reinforce dominant preconceptions of women [and] men” (Cunningham, 2011; and, Bumiller 125). According to current research, by adding personal information about the victim, the media can help alleviate victim blaming. Both Renner 12

Anastasio & Costa and Dexter and associates found that “making the victim “similar” to the public will in fact help to alleviate victim blaming” (Anastasio & Costa, 2004);

(Cunningham, 2011); (Dexter et al., 1997). When analyzing the media’s treatment of victims in the Jian Ghomeshi trial, we see media coverage that repetitively points out the victim’s unconventional behavior following the alleged assaults. By highlighting the unconventional behavior, the victims become less similar to the public, hence clouding public perception and potentially for some readers, justifying the abuse. Anastasio &

Costa also found that “adding personnel information about the victim and calling the victim by name instead of a “pronoun” helped to reduce victim blaming and can aide in public empathy (Anastasio & Costa 2004); (Cunningham 2011). Out of eight women who accused Ghomeshi of assault, only one went public. Lucy DeCoutere shared her experience publicly in numerous media interviews for this reason but when the others did not come forward there is no way to gain public empathy in this way (Donovan and

Brown 2014).

Problems with Coverage and Lack of Consistency in Media Support

McManus and Dorfman (2003) looked at local and national newspaper articles and collected the articles related to violence and domestic violence; their research found that even high quality newspapers do not cover domestic violence consistently. Maxwell et al., investigated the consistency of Domestic Violence coverage of the OJ Simpson murder case. The researchers believed that the high profile coverage would help show the public that abuse can happen to anyone. Maxwell et al., (2000) predicted that other victims of domestic violence would come forward after the trial and that media outlets would continue to cover domestic violence. Actual results of the study indicated that the Renner 13 number of domestic violence related newspaper articles increased during the OJ Simpson case; however, after the trial was over, the number of articles in newspapers decreased

(Maxwell et al., 2000).

Psychology

Psychology is the “scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context” (Oxford Dictionary 2016).

Applied to how the media’s treatment of violence against women impacts women’s well- being and willingness to report abuse, research in this discipline suggests that women are less likely to report abuse and through the reoccurring exposure of acceptance of violence against women, the women are faced with ongoing obstacles such as self blame and shame.

Self-Blame and Internalization of Abuse

There are serious psychological, physical, and social costs that result from a traumatic sexual assault, as abused women tend to internalize blame (Burn 33), (Sev’er

94). The media representation of the Jian Ghomeshi trial affects the women in society that are abused because they see how society responds to the abuse, how the women are required to justify their actions, questioned and scrutinized and bombarded by negative feedback by media outlets. Negative psychological effects such as posttraumatic stress disorder, suicide, and self-blame are common problems among victims of rape but according to Lee et al., the level of traumatization varies according to how the society reacts to the victims (Lee et al., 178).

Often a victim blames herself for a sexual assault. Findings suggest that the closer the relationship between the woman and the sexual assailant, the more likely she is to Renner 14 blame herself over the assailant and less likely to report the assault. Numerous studies state that women who are raped by someone that is of a close relationship to her have higher levels of distress than women who are raped by strangers (Sev’er 94). According to additional research, when women do report the assault, the attacks are often not taken seriously by society (Sev’er 94). Societal norms and legal statues subscribe to the misconception that women who are raped by strangers are the only ones who need society’s protection (Sev’er 94). This misconception alludes to the false belief that ‘nice guys cannot be rapists,’ a popular belief in rape culture. Many supporters of Ghomeshi see a wealthy and well-respected man they like, and do not believe he can be capable of abuse. A key part of rape culture is the tendency to construct rapists as “inhuman monsters” (Montgomery 2014). When perpetrators of sexual assault are viewed as

“unredeemable monsters” and rape is an “exceptional event” it becomes difficult to talk or address realities that happen in our communities amongst our friends, families, and co- workers (Montgomery 2014). Rape and sexual assault is “complicated and layered” and this way of thinking simplifies and ignores many cases of sexual assaults.

In the Star interview with Donovan and Brown, even though Lucy DeCoutere recognizes Ghomeshi’s behavior as abuse, she gently plays down her own abuse when describing the details of her allegation, a trait typical in rape culture. Because of our conditioning to normalize unwanted nonconsensual sex or sexual coercion, we discount more subtle acts of abuse because our society reinforces rape myths that only view grotesquely violent or offensive assaults as credible (Donavon and Brown 2014). These beliefs are problematic because when we make rapists into monsters we “pathologize rapists, searching for individualized ‘disorders’ rather than linking sexual assault to Renner 15 misogyny, male entitlement, and patriarchal socialization” (Montgomery 2014).

Furthermore, Corey Rayburn in “To Catch a Sex Thief: The Burden of Performance in

Rape and Sexual Assault Trials”, believes that “[a]ccusers must convince a jury, jaded by rape stories and pictures, that her story is ‘special’ enough to warrant a guilty verdict. The end result is that prosecutions are doomed to fail in most situations” (Rayburn 439). As we are desensitized to violence from media, we often discount many versions of assault in social and legal settings, which further discourage victims of abuse to come forward.

Possible Reasons for “Irrational Actions” of Alleged Victims of Assault

Each survivor copes with abuse differently. There is “no right way for a survivor to feel, and there is no set timeline for when a survivor should be feeling better”

(Williams College 2016). Some victims of sexual assault are flooded with emotions and feelings right away, while others take longer to process what they are feeling (Williams

College 2016). It is important to remember that what a survivor does after an assault does not discount the assault itself. Often times a survivor will act or respond irrationally and/or contradictory to what is “acceptable” behavior according to popular belief. We see the alleged victims in the Jian Ghomeshi trial act in this way. Some of the women kept in contact with Ghomeshi through text/email, continued to pursue romantic experiences and took pictures with the accused following their alleged assaults (Doe 2016). When a partner uses psychological abuse the partner most often targets a person’s core sense of self by using put-downs and criticisms that maintains a vulnerable and passive victim

(Sev’er 82). This passive victim can easily be manipulated and ruthlessly seeks validation from the abuser because of the dichotic relation established by the abuser (Sev’er 82). Renner 16

The cycle of abuse must also be considered when evaluating a survivors choices.

On average it takes a woman seven attempts to leave an abusive relationship (Domestic

Abuse Shelter 2016). Research, along with my own personal experience, acknowledge that victims of abuse often block out details or confuse specific information as means to cope with the traumatic events (Domestic Abuse Shelter 2016). Some of the common reactions to sexual assault that are magnified when exposed to public scrutiny and dissection in media, are: guilt and shame, loss of control, mistrust, self-blame, anger, fear, flashbacks, feeling crazy, avoidance, numbness (Domestic Abuse Shelter 2016).

The Re-victimization from Going Public in a Trial

Dealing with an assault in combination with undergoing a court case can be incredibly painful for victims of crime. To highlight how severe this re-victimization is for survivors, a separate sexual assault case from the United Kingdom is examined. A few days after testifying against an abuser, a victim of sexual assault named Frances

Andrade committed suicide (Gentleman 2013). In a text message three days prior to her death Andrade text a friend stating that she felt she had been "raped all over again."

Andrade’s cross examination was embedded with hostile questioning and commentary including: "That is simply not true…;" "You are indulging in the realms of fantasy…;"

"This is a lie;” and "What you have told this jury is a complete pack of lies…"

(Gentleman 2013). The victims are asked to relive the traumatic event while simultaneously subject to relentless questioning and doubt.

They are expected to prove and justify their behavior prior to the assault and often experience profound embarrassment from the humiliating victim impact statements and Renner 17 cross-examinations. The court cases typically compound pre-existing guilt and shame from the abuse (Gentleman 2013).

Rape Culture and The Ghomeshi Trial

A trait typical in rape culture is when a society remains neutral and waits for ‘all the facts’ (Montgomery 2014). For Montgomery, “the legalistic mindset gets in the way of supporting survivors, unlearning rape culture, and organizing to dismantle it”

(Montgomery 2014). The ways we talk about sexual assault, allegations and the implications of that is more important than legal guilt. Montgomery states that “the focus on innocent-until-proven-guilty shifts the onus back on survivors to prove a sexual assault ‘really’ happened” which shows survivors of sexual assaults they will not be believed, or will need concrete proof from friends and family, which is often the case

(Montgomery 2014). This is a very complex issue that needs to be addressed to better suit plaintiffs and defendants. Further research on the subject is required in order to comprehensively support all parties involved in a just and legal manner.

Another tactic of rape culture is to cast the concept of rape culture itself as

“alarmist, conspiratorial, or crazy” (Montgomery 2014). Ghomeshi himself hosted a debate about whether rape culture is “helpful or even accurate.” Heather MacDonald of the Manhattan Institute publicly dismissed the existence of rape culture, claimed that drinking is the reason for sexual assault, and blamed women for being assaulted. In contrast, a shocked Lise Gotell explained that only rapists cause rape (Montgomery

2014). The very thought of a debate creates suspicion and illegitimatizes rape culture in the eyes of society and can derail any conversation about collective responses to the problem (Montgomery 2014). Renner 18

The Cycle of Abuse in the Ghomeshi Trial

The Duluth Project, by Pence and Paymar (1993), proposes a conceptual model to explain the interrelated dimensions in the cycle of violence and highlights the systematic nature of the web of abuse as opposed to understanding abuse as independent outbursts

(Sev’er 56-57). The model shows that physical and sexual abuse of women are products of a vicious cycle. The hub of the cycle is power and control. The model suggests that power-seeking men “use intimidation, emotionally abuse and degrade their partners, isolate them, minimize their complaints, or blame them as the instigators of their own demise” (Sev’er 56). Abusive men also benefit from “established and unquestioned forms of male privilege, including sexual demands and control resources” (Sev’er 57). A high profile celebrity like Ghomeshi has power and influence. In general the allegations the women have told the Star describe a man “obsessed with his image and power, and someone who they say has little or no respect for barriers” (Doe 2016). Ghomeshi used violent behaviour, minimized the women’s arguments by referring to the sexual activity as consensual, and continued to publicly discredit accusers (North 2014).

Law/Political Science

Political Science analyzes political activity, governance and behavior. Applied to how the media’s treatment of violence against women impacts women’s willingness to report abuse, findings show that despite having legal measures and policies to protect women in abusive circumstances, often times there are gaps in enforcement and practice.

Research that states frequency and prevalence of sexual assault reported to police, the outcome of these reports, including arrests, charges dropped, and success of prosecution would show the necessity of adding victim services and encourage policy changes and Renner 19 encourage other victims to report (Bergen 1414).

According to Doe, we must create a new stage for discussion about sexual assault, and in order to do so “we must shift focus and observe the actions of the police, Crown attorneys, defense lawyers and judges” (Doe 2016). The Jian Ghomeshi trial has highlighted serious flaws in the way sexual assault cases are treated in our criminal justice system and our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom.

Gaps in the Criminal Code

The language used in legal definitions are highly contested by social analyses, as the language does not capture the full extent of the abuse. The use of “assault” is inadequate in responding to social or psychological turmoil that women suffer from intimate partners (Sev’er 14). The Canadian Criminal Code does not directly define violence against women as a unique category of crime. Violence against women is subsumed under section 244, which defines ‘assault,’ and sections 245 and 246, which define assault with a weapon, aggravated assault, sexual assault, and aggravated assault

(Sev’er 13). This definition of assault requires ‘intent to harm,’ and punishes acts not thoughts (Sev’er 13). Intimidation sections (section 381), stalking legislation and criminal harassment section (section 264) are also used in cases of violence against women (Sev’er 14). All cases, regardless of gender, race or socioeconomic positioning, are conceptualized in an identical way. The Criminal Code does not make any reference to the type of relationship between the perpetrator and his or her victim

(Sev’er 14). The relationship between the perpetrator and his or her victim matters because it can offer more information, or highlight both the serious and the repeated Renner 20 nature of the abuse (Sev’er 15), (i.e. husband/wife, boss/employee, or in this case successful media guru and hopeful media candidate).

How the Media Coverage Affects Potential Perpetrators

Many researchers found that rape is more likely to occur in situations where one is assured of not being caught (Viki, et al., 790). Unfortunately, “rape laws are weak and poorly enforced [worldwide]” (Burn 31). Rape is used to maintain traditional gender relations and gender norms are often used as justifications and rationalizations for rape proclivity. Traditional gender relations position women as inferior and submissive to men. When a society is concerned with maintaining traditional gender relations, or supports a rape culture, they will be more likely to blame the victim by making reference to benevolently sexist “ideals” concerning male–female relationships and so many societies neglect to enforce rape or sexual assault laws (Viki et al., 791).

Conflicts, Common Ground and Integration

The disciplines utilized (Media and Communication, Psychology, Gender Studies and Law/Political Science) all provided valuable insights on the phenomena. All of the disciplines have interdisciplinary aspects but some specific research was more prevalent in singular disciplines than others. Rape culture and victim blaming are discussed in research found throughout all disciplines of this report. From a Media and

Communication perspective findings suggest that current images, language, and sensationalist journalism contribute to the perpetuation and normalization of violence against women and discourage other victims to report abuse. Additionally, when the media presents violence in humorous ways, the representations undermine the seriousness of its effects and research suggests the humorous portrayals may even Renner 21 perpetuate that violence. From a Psychology perspective research suggests that current representations often break down survivor’s self-esteem and further traumatize other women in society that are abused. Women are often left lacking confidence and feeling alone when dealing with their sexual assault. A Gender Studies perspective highlights the significance victim blaming, rape culture and patriarchal ideologies has on the representations and other victim’s reluctance to report abuse. Sexual assault and rape is often over-looked, or police, judges, community and religious leaders, other authority figures, diminishes its significance because they perceive the issue as a private issue that is not discussed and dealt with outside the family. From a Law/Political Science perspective current legal practices and gaps in the Criminal Code do not adequately protect or support women. Specific legislation in the Criminal Code could better serve abused women if they were more specific in language and each case was treated individually within context. In addition, to look for answers to these complicated issues or drive for deep systemic change, partnership between organizations that work with abused people and law societies can be explored.

Potential For Change & Future Study

Following the acquittal of Jian Ghomeshi, many victim rights advocates and media sources did launch supportive campaigns such as #Webelievesurvivors. Many victim rights advocates are rallying to help challenge existing laws, encourage discussion, and resist current systematic practices that support rape culture. According to research, there are victim rights advocates and initiatives that attempt to educate the media in their reporting practices. The victim rights advocates try to teach the media how to present the Renner 22 narrative in a way that will not “re-victimize the victim” (Rentschler 221) or cause any more “psychological stress” onto the victim (Minnebo 65).

For anyone who wishes to build on the questions and issues raised in this paper, more studies and statistics must be gathered on the effect of revisiting the crime through court on the victims and how often abuse goes unreported. An extensive knowledge in the court system would be a huge asset. We need ideas to reform the system in a way that protects the victims more adequately, but also offers the idea of innocent until proven guilty that has been the corner stone of our judiciary system. In addition, to look for answers to these complicated issues or drive for deep systemic change, partnership between organizations that work with abused people and law societies can be explored.

Conclusion

An interdisciplinary approach is utilized to explore and connect a variety of disciplinary perspectives most relevant to how the media’s representation of sexual assault trials impact victims of sexual assault and under reporting. The survivors of this case and all women who have been subject to sexual violence or intimate partner abuse are deeply impacted by the media’s portrayal of the Jian Ghomeshi trial and by the

Canadian criminal justice system’s treatment of the alleged victims throughout the trial.

Already suffering trauma from the assault and aftermath of that assault, survivors must undergo ongoing and reluctant scrutiny by defense lawyers, media broadcasters, and the public in general.

Through careful examination of the Jian Ghomeshi trial under then lens of interdisciplinary studies, it is clear to see that there are some issues that need to be Renner 23 addressed in various fields. The media should have a heightened responsibility for how they conduct themselves, what they report on, and how they report on it. The court system needs to have some sort of reform to better address the issues that abuse cases can bring about.

It is clear to see that both of these fields have a lasting psychological effect on the victims, and in some cases can severely traumatize those who come forward to report.

This is something that is unacceptable, no matter what the crime is.

The media is constantly changing, and going forward we should be projecting a more positive and nurturing environment for these victims to come forward and report about abuse. They should not fear being ruined when they are coming forward with the truth.

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