Reporting The Facts Of A Story Is Now "Sexist"
L.V. Anderson, at XXfactor on Slate, finds the AP's reporting of a New York woman's death "sexist."
The AP report by Colleen Long:
A 35-year-old media executive on a first date plunged to her death Thursday after the railing on her 17th-floor New York City balcony gave way, police said.Jennifer Rosoff went outside for a cigarette around 12:50 a.m. when she either sat on the railing or leaned on it. Her date told her that she probably shouldn't do it, and then moments later, she apparently fell backward and landed on construction scaffolding at the first floor, authorities said. Police spoke to the man and no foul play was suspected.
A reporting of the facts. Should some of the facts be excluded?
Anderson hallucinates the above reporting into bias, writing the following:
Let's break this down. According to the AP, the crucial facts you need to know about Rosoff right off the bat are that:1. She was 35 and single.
2. She was a smoker.
3. She invited a man back to her apartment late at night on a first date.
4. The man warned her not to lean against the balcony, but she did it anyway.The implication being that this smoking slut totally had it coming. A reader is left with the distinct impression that if Rosoff hadn't invited her date inside, hadn't gone outside to smoke a cigarette, and hadn't defied the advice of the wise and logical man she was with, she would still be alive. According to the AP story's subtext, the problem wasn't that Rosoff's balcony railing was shoddy and unsafe--it was that Rosoff defied gender norms by being unmarried at 35, by being sexually liberal, and by insisting on making her own decisions instead of deferring to men's logic.
Here's Anderson's version:
A 35-year-old media executive plunged to her death Thursday after the railing on her 17th-floor New York City balcony gave way, police said.Jennifer Rosoff, who worked for a new media advertising startup called TripleLift, was outside with a friend around 12:50 a.m. when she either sat on the railing or leaned on it. Moments later, she apparently fell backward and landed on construction scaffolding at the first floor, authorities said. Police spoke to the friend and no foul play was suspected. Buildings officials took part of the broken railing to examine how it could have given way and plan to determine whether the other balconies in the building are structurally sound.
I'd rather read the other. Because it's more interesting because it includes detail, as good reporting is supposed to do.
Also, it's more emotionally resonant that she was on a first date -- looking for love -- and fell to her death. I want to read emotionally resonant reporting; there's too much of the other kind -- flat and gray.
I'm sure she's glad Mayor Bloomberg prevented her from having a large soda. Too bad she had to die because the city failed to do the important things.
MarkD at August 4, 2013 2:35 PM
Sounds to me like Anderson needs to get fucked.
Also how do we know she was single? How do we know she wasnt vetting a third for the threesome she and her husband had planned?
lujlp at August 4, 2013 2:44 PM
And I'm sure her fellow execs at work really wanted the company name brought up.
Jim P. at August 4, 2013 3:07 PM
while this is an unfortunate thing, in neither case is it "news".
If I fell off my balcony tonight, my family would mourn me, but why would any person on this board ever even know?
What MAKES this news?... the femme version is CERTAINLY not news, because there is nothing that would make it same.
The original version could be made newsworthy by going from the angle that "all balconies of a building on the corner of state and eternity, were closed after one of the residents fell to her death, friday night." Maybe after that for a little color, you put the date's version, but it is just color. Then it affects a larger group of people... and that makes it news.
The femme version is the FULL GONZO of Projection "DON'T JUDGE ME!!!111!!!, just because I loathe myself!" This sort of thing is remarkably tiring.
SwissArmyD at August 4, 2013 3:07 PM
But he wasn't a friend. If it was their first date that means they just met that day.
I think that is relevant to the story as my first thought was did he push her?
It wasn't thinking at all she was a smoking slut. Weird thought process to immediately go into.
Isn't it weird how feminists and ultra religious puritans both view the female form/actions in the similar ways?
Ppen at August 4, 2013 3:17 PM
Anderson missed a chance to blame the victim's date for her demise because he failed to go into gender-norm Hero mode and order her away from the ledge or clutch her from the jaws of death.
DaveG at August 4, 2013 3:28 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2013/08/04/reporting_the_f.html#comment-3837810">comment from PpenI know, PPen. None of that stuff that occurred to Anderson occurred to me.
Amy Alkon
at August 4, 2013 3:34 PM
This was in NY. There is only one way to report it.
Jennifer Rosoff accidentally fell to her death. She is survived by a 2,200 sq ft apt on the 17th floor, w2w carpeting, slight smoky smell, large balcony. Corner of X and Y street, great view.
In realted news there is a job opening at XYZ for a media executive.
Joe J at August 4, 2013 3:47 PM
When reporting news (esp. something that could be a crime and/or investigated by the police) one isn't storytelling in the sense of the main goal being to tell a tale with a moral or something. The point is:
Subject Verbed Object. Then Something Verbed Soemthing else. Etc.
Woman leaned against rail. Then woman fell onto scaffolding. Woman died.
Now, that'd be crappy reporting because it's horrible writing and doesn't include any of the details, just the barest facts. So, if she'd tripped and fallen against the railing, that should be printed. If she'd walked backwards into while trying to take a picture of her new patio door, that should be in the included details.
This isn't exactly rocket science.
Shannon M. Howell at August 4, 2013 4:09 PM
Anderson says "the minor details that journalists choose to include or exclude from their reporting are one of many subtle ways that oppressive gender norms are perpetuated. Do I think the AP reporter assigned to this piece (incidentally, a woman) intended to undermine the reader’s sympathy for Rosoff and suggest she was asking for it? Of course not. But the fact that totally irrelevant details about Rosoff’s love life and cigarette habit made it into the lede and nut graf of an ostensibly unbiased news article—and that no editor stopped to ask, “Hmm, why is this information here?”—just goes to show how deeply ingrained sexist attitudes can be, even among professionals who pride themselves on their objectivity."
So raise your hands, does anyone give a shit this woman was a media executive, one who recently worked for "a new media advertising startup called TripleLift"? Is that relevant to the story in any manner?
What does it say about our young feminist food reporter L.V. Anderson except tell us how she measures people and values their worth?
She's sounds either extremely fucking privileged to me.
jerry at August 4, 2013 4:29 PM
I'm just surprised that Anderson's version wasn't about "J. Rosoff," a person of unspecified gender.
Dwatney at August 4, 2013 4:42 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2013/08/04/reporting_the_f.html#comment-3837894">comment from jerrySo raise your hands, does anyone give a shit this woman was a media executive, one who recently worked for "a new media advertising startup called TripleLift"?
This is the part of the story I don't care about. She was very pretty, she was on a first date and presumably looking for love, she led a somewhat charmed life, at least on the face of it (financially), living on Sutton Place in a balcony apartment. And with one casual motion, all is lost. It's very compelling. The first date, the guy there, the cigarette -- all of those things make this resonate for me in a way it wouldn't if it were simply "age, rank, fall, bye."
Amy Alkon
at August 4, 2013 5:07 PM
There is also the part of the story in which the city building inspectors have told residents to STAY OFF the balconies as they are unsafe (the building predates WWII; so it is OLD).
Sorry; but, this woman, who could afford such a coveted building; choose to ignore that warning. So, this really shouldn't be a "newsworthy" event.
Why was it on the national TV news? Because it could have been any one of "their kind" - journalists. That's what made it newsworthy; and perhaps that is why L.V. Andreson took that view -how dare they talk about one of our own in this way! Only judge the little folks - like teabaggers or George Zimmerman in such a way.
Charles at August 4, 2013 5:39 PM
This is the story link I sent Amy on Thursday. I find it the best one.
http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130801/sutton-place/woman-plunges-death-from-sutton-place-luxury-condo-cops-say
Jay J. Hector at August 4, 2013 10:03 PM
This is why almost no one takes Gender Studies seriously as an academic discipline.
DrMaturin at August 5, 2013 5:20 AM
Slate articles are click-bait for people surfing the web at work. It's hard to keep coming up with stories that require no real work but get people all hot and bothered. This is typical of the bunch; no point in taking it seriously.
Astra at August 5, 2013 6:53 AM
Joe J is the winner of this thread because he is absolutely (and cynically) correct :).
Andrew at August 23, 2013 7:29 AM
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