This Account is Fixing Irish Headlines Surrounding Sexual Abuse and Violence
#FixedIt Ireland is an Instagram account dedicated to fixing the wording in Irish newspaper headlines to reflect the reality of sexual violence cases. The account dissects how subtle headline wording can change how we perceive cases of sexual violence and abuse.
The account came to fruition in the wake of the Clodagh Burke case in 2016. The 39 year old mother and teacher was murdered by her husband in Co. Cavan which led to a campaign named “Her Name is Clodagh”. The camapaign sought to shift media narratives towards the victims of sexual abuse and violence, putting a name and face to those who have been impacted. Taking inspiration from Jane Gilmore, the creator of the “FixedIt” campaign in Australia, Dola Twomey began to replicate her work in Ireland.
We spoke to Dola to gain an insight into the actual change being implemented through campaigns like “FixedIt”.
Q: What inspired you to create FixedIt?
A: Research tells us that at least 70% of ‘readers’ do not read further than the headline. headlines are therefore a critical medium of communication in their own right. We set out to emulate Janes work in Australia, to create a way where we could challenge the ‘narrative’ of headlines that needed challenging.
Q: What is the wider aim of FixedIt, and what change would you ultimately like to see?
A: The wider aim of FixedIt was to challenge myths and victim blaming where it was generated or replicated in the media. We wanted to create the opportunity for the general public to be more critical of the media and media portrayals of sexual violence. We wanted the media to become more critical of itself on the issue. We wanted more thoughtful and more informed media and headlines. Ultimately, we would love to ‘retire’ FixedIt – we would love if there were no headlines for us to ‘fix’.
Q: How would you describe the response to the account since you launched it?
A: The response to the project has depended on who is doing the responding ! It has received huge positive response from the public. Many of the campaigns followers are actively engaged in submitting headlines and in suggesting ‘fixes’, it has grown into a campaign that we house and host but is fuelled by the campaigns followers and supporters. We had our detractors, of course and still have some – primarily the editors and sub editors who make the headlines, not alone do they have FixedIt challenging their headlines, but members of the public do so too.
How can the way headlines are written, particularly around sexual assault and violence, influence how readers perceive the crime, the victim and the perpetrator?
A: Headlines can and do impact how we perceive sexual violence in general and how we perceive specific incidents also. A trawl through the Instagram account where the original headlines and the ‘improved’ versions co-exist, show similar and persistent themes eg perpetrators as ‘monsters’ yet in reality they walk amongst us every day like ordinary people. There is a deep vein of victim blaming both obvious and sometimes tacit. There is a certain reluctance to name the reality of the crime. One of our biggest bug bears is the term ‘child pornography’ Legislation is currently on its way through the Dail to strike the term from legislation – We say, call it what it is, child sexual abuse material. There is the issue of passive language, eg ‘ a woman was raped’, why not say ‘a man raped a woman ‘? I could go on in ths vein for a long time – but the ‘fixes’ do it better.
Why do you think journalists and editors continue this trend of headline misrepresentation?
A: Their job is to grab attention – We have issues with how that is done sometimes – we have issues with what can sometimes be an absence of editorial ethics – We believe and know that editors can make headlines that do not reinforce biases and misinformation and still attract attention and readers. We would love to see the headline writers exploring this issue themselves and devising a code of conduct – we have seen the power of journalism work in the area of suicide reporting. We would love to see change coming from within the profession.
