This week United States Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) delivered the very sad claim that he was sexually abused by a camp counselor when he was 10 years old.
How did the Boston Globe cover this news? As part of its reporting of the story, the paper published an article, "Victims and advocates praise Brown for going public about childhood" (Thu. 2/17/11).
The first person that the article cited was Gary Bergeron, 48, a high-profile victims' advocate who claims he was abused by a Catholic priest.
The second person that the article cited was Bernie McDaid, 55, another high-profile advocate who claims he was abused by a Catholic priest.
Then, after some quotes from secular child advocates, the Globe quoted lawyer Mitchell Garabedian, a high-profile attorney who is estimated to have earned tens of millions of dollars suing the Catholic Church.
Three short paragraphs later, the article concluded with remarks from Anne Barrett Doyle, who codirects a website, bishopaccountability.org, which tirelessly catalogs allegations of abuse by Catholic clergy.
Indeed, all genuine victims should be commended for coming forward. The harm wrecked upon victims is immeasurable. Everyone should demand justice, compassion, and care for victims of sexual abuse.
However, it is quite a bit revealing that the Globe targeted so many individuals related to abuse in the Catholic Church for its article, especially since the alleged Scott Brown incident does not involve a priest or the Catholic Church at all.
The article appears to expose knee-jerk thinking at the Boston Globe. It hears the words "child sex abuse," and it automatically thinks, "Catholic Church."
Very, very revealing.
