It's Your Week. This is the power of survivors' voices
I'm Sallee Ann, and this is Your Week, a newsletter exclusively for Paste BN subscribers.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. All year long, our reporters and editors work tirelessly to shine a light on individuals and institutions who try to keep abuse and injustice in the shadows. In this edition, we highlight the work of our investigations team.
But first, don't miss these stories made possible with your Paste BN subscription:
- ‘Beyond troubling’: Current, former government officials tied to human trafficking probe in Georgia
- COVID vaccines are not meant to prevent all infections, experts say. Americans need to reset their expectations.
- Aboard one of the last masked flights: Here's how crew, passengers found out masks weren't required
- A worker didn't want a birthday party. His company held one anyway. Now it owes him $450K.
- 'Who in their right mind thinks this is OK?' My friends invited my ex on our girls trip.
Bringing victims' stories to light
Investigative reporter Marisa Kwiatkowski has spent much of the past decade investigating institutional failures to protect children from abuse, including in USA Gymnastics, the cheerleading industry and schools.
"Sexual abuse is a pervasive community issue, and it's no surprise that predators might gravitate toward organizations that work with youth," Kwiatkowski said. "What makes a difference is the policies organizations have in place to prevent misconduct and then what they do when they receive allegations – what steps they take to protect children and hold offenders accountable."
Investigative reporter Kenny Jacoby covers sexual assault and its intersections with Title IX, sports and policing.
"The more stories I write, the more I realize I’m covering different versions of the same story," Jacoby said. "When confronted with serious allegations, schools, sports teams and police departments routinely respond in ways that serve their own interests and harm victims.
"As with Cal State and LSU, institutions know about these problems but don’t fix them for years, until the victims and the press bring them to light."
And that light tends to encourage more light.
"Through all of our investigations, what sticks with me is the power of survivors' voices, and how someone sharing their story can inspire others to do the same," Kwiatkowski said.
If you or someone you love has experienced sexual assault, help is available. Call RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE.
Important investigations by our team:
- A Cal State dean groped two colleagues. ‘Retreat rights’ made him unfireable.
- Fresno State president mishandled sexual harassment complaints. Now he leads all 23 Cal State colleges.
- LSU mishandled sexual misconduct complaints against students, including top athletes.
- Sexual assault in Peace Corps: Volunteers betrayed by agency failures
- Cheerleading has a list of people banned from the sport. It was missing 74 convicted sex offenders.
A little levity, with TobyKeith
Everyone, meet TobyKeith. He's a 21-year-old chihuahua in Florida who was just confirmed by Guinness World Records to be the oldest living dog. His owner says good genetics, a healthy diet and a loving home are the secrets to his old age. And maybe a red solo cup or two?
But wait, there's more you don't want to miss
- These invasive trees smell like rotting fish and kill plants. So states are banning them.
- We've long been told salt is bad for you. Is it really?
- CNN+ is dead. Here’s what killed the streaming news service only a month after it began.
- Stop building 'mulch volcanoes.' You are killing your trees and shrubs.
And thank you
Thank you for supporting journalism with impact. Thank you for supporting journalism that brings light where there's darkness. Your subscription allows us to investigate institutions, and tell stories like TobyKeith's that just make you smile. We appreciate your support.
See you next week!