Recommended Readings: Sexual Assault & Consent

In the spirit of a call from Ethan Zuckerman, the Director of the MIT Center for Civic Media, for more “wide news” — news that reflects society’s diversity of opinions — we’ve been sending out some recommended readings for each of our events that cut across the spectrum. This month, our topic is “Sexual Assault & Consent: Tough Conversations, Challenging Coverage,” and we have a few suggested starting points grouped broadly, meant to display a variety of angles on the issues.

Once again, we’ll be looking at an extremely complex topic, so please note that these are by no means meant to be thorough.  These articles are merely meant as a place to begin our conversation, as well as a way of showcasing some of the varying conversations already happening.

Note:
-Articles with an * indicate the most essential piece(s) per section.

Via our event’s guest speakers:
*Meet the Woman Who Took Bill O’Reilly Down, Marie Claire
*Key Findings of the Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace [PDF], EEOC Select Task Force Co-Chairs, National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC)
*Episode #269: Jodi Kantor, Longform Podcast

Popular Media Figures Discussion:
*An Incomplete, Depressingly Long List of Celebrities’ Sexual Assault and Harassment Stories, AV Club
The Humiliation of Aziz Ansari, The Atlantic
Women Can Tell the Difference Between Ansari and Weinstein, Vox
I Started the Media Men List. My Name is Moira Donegan, The Cut/New York Magazine

Reflections on the Movement:
*The Reckoning: Women and Power in the Workplace, NY Times Magazine (essays)
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Reflects on the #MeToo Movement: ‘It’s About Time,’ NPR
Publicly, We Say #MeToo. Privately, we Have Misgivings, NY Times Op-Ed
What’s the Difference Between Sexual Assault and Harassment? Let’s Break it Down, Washington Post

– Adam Gismondi, Ph.D.
Civic Series – Civic Media Researcher
@AdamGismondi