No gamechanger in newsroom

Dona Suri

OVER the past few weeks several prominent men in media have been accused of sexual harassment. The allegations are being referred by the made-in-America name of MeToo, but even before we heard of MeToo, reports were appearing, with increasing frequency, detailing women’s complaints against predatory male superiors in just about every line of work.

MeToo derives its power from women finding the courage to speak out publicly and offer details sufficient and precise enough to make their accusations stick. Finding courage is not easy. From a young age, a woman is taught that disclosing a sexual offense means greater humiliation for the victim than for the perpetrator. Normally, a woman clings to the dignity of silence until the outrage is so intense and unremitting that she is compelled to make the matter public. Predatory men count on exactly this fact when calculating their chance of getting away. Cultural values of women in newsrooms are unlikely to differ greatly from those of Indian women generally.

MeToo demands that women’s accusations be heard and taken seriously. Few managements would oppose this demand but it is easy to agree and difficult to actually create a fair and effective mechanism to deal with such accusations. As per the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act (SHWWA), any organisation with more than 10 employees must have an independent committee to investigate allegations. How many media organisations have set up such committees? If a committee exists, are women employees aware of it? Do women know what actions  define as harassment and how to frame a complaint so that a committee can take action on it? My guess is that most women in media are no more aware than those in other occupations.

Moreover, what guarantees the independence of a SHWWA committee? Or any in-house committee?  A committee  that comprised persons high up in the hierarchy may not necessarily inspire confidence. Granted that an accusation gains credibility when it is repeated by many accusers but it is not a substitute for proof, especially when the career and reputation of both man and  woman are on the line. Getting proof may expose the victim to counter-charges of entrapment and libel. Softer proofs are likely to be regarded as no proof at all.

Proof includes proof of intention. A constant stream of banter characterises almost all newsrooms. One person’s slightly naughty humour may be perceived as obscenity by another. Normally, a simple, on-the-spot apology should restore amicability, but what if it doesn’t? Newsrooms are stressful spaces without the need to constantly weigh every single word. How serious does something have to be to qualify as a MeToo?

What is a reasonable time in which a victim should come forward? The SHWWA requires the victim to report within three months after the incident.  Most managements would ask an aggrieved woman, “Why didn’t you speak up immediately?”

Well-intended laws are sometimes abused. In the post-MeToo newsroom, women may have gained the courage to confront harassers. And yet MeToo also offers scope for abuse. Imagine the disappointed ‘Sharp Cookie’: Despite cosying up to the boss, career benefits have not rolled out. She may still achieve her objective through a dose of MeToo blackmail. Men and women are equally capable of cooking up self-serving lies and both need to be protected from frivolous and false accusations.

Whether MeToo transforms newsrooms of the future will depend on attitudes at the very highest level of the newspaper hierarchy. A board of distinguished retirees can be expected to study an issue carefully, guided by the principal of ‘if it’s not broke, don’t fix it’.

Many newspapers are family businesses where news is a “product” that must make money. All employees are on contract. In a situation where employment is insecure and job openings are few, how many will speak out about anything … let alone MeToo? While MeToo in India is real enough, it is still limited in the number of women it touches and far from being a game-changer in the newsroom — or any other room.