The Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, an agency serving victims and survivors of domestic and dating violence, was disturbed by the article “Police: Men meet on Grindr, beat each other up in New Kensington” (Jan. 13, TribLIVE). It included misguided information, victim-blaming, homophobia and an offensive clickbait headline. To call such a horrific and traumatic incident a “fistfight” minimizes a dangerous assault.
The level of detail about the attack is lurid and unnecessary. You name the two people involved, which is public information but discouraged for safety reasons. And by focusing the headline and first paragraph on the fact the men met on Grindr, the article implies that hookup apps, not people who use violence, are to blame for violent acts like this.
When reporting on sexual and intimate partner violence, journalists are responsible for sharing facts without bias, and also have an opportunity to educate the public to support prevention. Just days after this assault, one of the men involved was again charged with aggravated assault after allegedly physically attacking and threatening to kill a woman. This man must be held accountable for his actions, and by burying the charges near the end of the article, you downplayed his alleged pattern of violence. Additionally, you missed an opportunity to share resources that victims of violence can turn to for help.
Articles like this can discourage people from coming forward to report violence, especially in the LGBTQIA+ community, and can be retraumatizing to the victim and those who have faced similar attacks.
Nicole Molinaro
Pittsburgh
The writer is president/CEO of the Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh.