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| New York tabloids duplicate the Sun's Reeva Steenkamp cover photo outrage | New York tabloids duplicate the Sun's Reeva Steenkamp cover photo outrage |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Rupert Murdoch's the Sun newspaper certainly knows how to generate a good backlash. | Rupert Murdoch's the Sun newspaper certainly knows how to generate a good backlash. |
| Britain's biggest tabloid is both loved and notorious for playing fast and loose with its morals. Or, as my colleague Marina Hyde points out, for being prudish enough to use an apostrophe when spelling the word "t*t" even as it puts pictures of a naked pair of them on Page 3. | Britain's biggest tabloid is both loved and notorious for playing fast and loose with its morals. Or, as my colleague Marina Hyde points out, for being prudish enough to use an apostrophe when spelling the word "t*t" even as it puts pictures of a naked pair of them on Page 3. |
| So, it was no great surprise to see the Sun use a gratuitous bikini shot of murdered fashion model Reeva Steenkamp on its front page, breasts heaving and lips pouting even as her body lay in a morgue. Cue outrage: Twitter erupted, political figures spoke out. The Sun got a good pasting on social media, though – as Hyde points out – they probably got a sales bump, too, as acres of female flesh on the front page always sells. | |
| But after having read about the scandal in the UK, what I was not expecting to see as I walked to work in New York was the same offence repeated in New York's daily newspapers – and, apparently, not a word of anger about it. There was the New York Post with the huge headline "Blade Slays Blonde", reducing the dead Steenkamp to a woman identified only by the colour of her hair. Under the headline, the inevitable picture of her in a bikini. | But after having read about the scandal in the UK, what I was not expecting to see as I walked to work in New York was the same offence repeated in New York's daily newspapers – and, apparently, not a word of anger about it. There was the New York Post with the huge headline "Blade Slays Blonde", reducing the dead Steenkamp to a woman identified only by the colour of her hair. Under the headline, the inevitable picture of her in a bikini. |
| Of course, the Post is, like the Sun, owned by Rupert Murdoch's New Corp. But then, there was the Daily News. The picture the News used was even worse. In that newspaper, which traditionally in New York considers itself a cut above the more rough-and-tumble Post, Steenkamp is shown in a pink bikini with the top partly unzipped. In her hand, she clutches an ice cream cone; drips of the white, melting confection are leaking onto her hand. Not exactly subtle. | Of course, the Post is, like the Sun, owned by Rupert Murdoch's New Corp. But then, there was the Daily News. The picture the News used was even worse. In that newspaper, which traditionally in New York considers itself a cut above the more rough-and-tumble Post, Steenkamp is shown in a pink bikini with the top partly unzipped. In her hand, she clutches an ice cream cone; drips of the white, melting confection are leaking onto her hand. Not exactly subtle. |
| And given Steenkamp's fate, allegedly at the hands of her boyfriend, Oscar Pistorius, it was certainly a nauseating piece of editorial decision-making. | And given Steenkamp's fate, allegedly at the hands of her boyfriend, Oscar Pistorius, it was certainly a nauseating piece of editorial decision-making. |
| What is going on here? It is tempting to blame the misogynistic culture of News Corp, which would make such decisions – despite Murdoch recently taking to Twitter to mull changes to the Sun's notorious Page 3: | What is going on here? It is tempting to blame the misogynistic culture of News Corp, which would make such decisions – despite Murdoch recently taking to Twitter to mull changes to the Sun's notorious Page 3: |
| So Page 3 tweet is breaking news... Typical OTT reaction by the UK PC crew.Just considering, as we do every page daily Buy it and see..... | So Page 3 tweet is breaking news... Typical OTT reaction by the UK PC crew.Just considering, as we do every page daily Buy it and see..... |
| — Rupert Murdoch(@rupertmurdoch) February 11, 2013 | — Rupert Murdoch(@rupertmurdoch) February 11, 2013 |
| The Daily News is not owned, of course, by Murdoch, but by Mort Zuckerman. But it is edited by Colin Myler, the final editor of the now shuttered News of the World. | The Daily News is not owned, of course, by Murdoch, but by Mort Zuckerman. But it is edited by Colin Myler, the final editor of the now shuttered News of the World. |
| But given the reaction to the Steenkamp front cover in the UK, where is the outrage in the US? | But given the reaction to the Steenkamp front cover in the UK, where is the outrage in the US? |
| It is a country whose journalists usually consider themselves more serious, more moral and more professional than their rambunctious counterparts on the other side of the Atlantic. That is a deeply debatable proposition – especially as, today, they have shown themselves to be every bit as capable of appalling sexism and not even noticing it. | It is a country whose journalists usually consider themselves more serious, more moral and more professional than their rambunctious counterparts on the other side of the Atlantic. That is a deeply debatable proposition – especially as, today, they have shown themselves to be every bit as capable of appalling sexism and not even noticing it. |
| As Hyde notes about the grim coincidence of Steenkamp's death dominating the news on a day nominally meant to be about fighting domestic violence: | As Hyde notes about the grim coincidence of Steenkamp's death dominating the news on a day nominally meant to be about fighting domestic violence: |
| "That the story leading the news for the entire day of the One Billion Rising global action opposing violence against women concerned a woman being allegedly murdered by her partner was unfortunate. That the death was covered in the way it has been begins to look like something else. But nothing new, obviously." | "That the story leading the news for the entire day of the One Billion Rising global action opposing violence against women concerned a woman being allegedly murdered by her partner was unfortunate. That the death was covered in the way it has been begins to look like something else. But nothing new, obviously." |
| Nothing new, indeed. Neither in Britain nor, just as dreadfully, in the United States. And yet, the prize of most egregious insensitivity and sexism goes to Steenkamp's own country, South Africa. In a decision that almost beggars belief, and which makes the Post and the Daily News look almost "appropriate" by comparison, a local reality show has made the decision to broadcast an episode featuring Steenkamp. Called "Tropika Island of Treasure 5", this , no doubt, classy production features Steenkamp competing for a 1m rand prize. In a statement executive producer of the show Samantha Moon said: | Nothing new, indeed. Neither in Britain nor, just as dreadfully, in the United States. And yet, the prize of most egregious insensitivity and sexism goes to Steenkamp's own country, South Africa. In a decision that almost beggars belief, and which makes the Post and the Daily News look almost "appropriate" by comparison, a local reality show has made the decision to broadcast an episode featuring Steenkamp. Called "Tropika Island of Treasure 5", this , no doubt, classy production features Steenkamp competing for a 1m rand prize. In a statement executive producer of the show Samantha Moon said: |
| "As we grieve today with Reeva's family and friends and struggle to make sense of this shocking tragedy, it has taken much deliberation to come to the decision to continue screening 'Tropika Island of Treasure 5' as planned." | "As we grieve today with Reeva's family and friends and struggle to make sense of this shocking tragedy, it has taken much deliberation to come to the decision to continue screening 'Tropika Island of Treasure 5' as planned." |
| Really? Broadcasting this show is a sign of shared grief? Suddenly, mere outrage does not even begin to cover it. For too many people in too many countries, this is a shameful day to work in media. | Really? Broadcasting this show is a sign of shared grief? Suddenly, mere outrage does not even begin to cover it. For too many people in too many countries, this is a shameful day to work in media. |