Virgin or Vamp: How the Press Covers Sex Crimes [Paperback]

Helen Benedict (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 9, 1993 | ISBN-10: 0195086651 | ISBN-13: 978-0195086652 | Edition: First Edition

In the last few years, the national press has lavished coverage on several major sex-related scandals: the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill hearings, the William Kennedy Smith rape trial, and the Mike Tyson case. With each event came lurid stories pitting either a loose or virginal woman against an unwilling or monstrous man. Such extreme coverage, argues Helen Benedict, perpetuates myths that are harmful to victims of these crimes (and sometimes to the accused).
In Virgin or Vamp Benedict examines the press's treatment of four notorious sex crimes from the past decade--the Rideout marital rape trial in Oregon, the Big Dan's pool table gang rape in Massachusetts, the "Preppy Murder" in New York City, and the Central Park jogger case--and shows how victims are labelled either as virgins or vamps, a practice she condemns as misleading and harmful. Benedict also looks at other factors that perpetuate the misunderstanding of rape. For instance, she shows how the New York press presented the Central Park jogger rape case as motivated by racism because of its unwillingness to consider rape an issue of gender. She also addresses our inherent language bias, the press's tendency to use sexually suggestive language to describe crime victims, and its preference for crimes against whites. In conclusion, Benedict offers a number of solutions that will help reporters cover these increasingly common crimes without further harming the victims, the defendants, or public understanding.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

How does the press cover sex crimes? In a biased way, according to Benedict ( Portraits in Print ), professor at Columbia University School of Journalism. She argues that because many reporters, copy editors and editors are middle-class white males, and since the feminist wave of the 1970s and '80s seems, in some views, to be subsiding, it has been exceedingly difficult for the female victim of a sex crime to avoid being depicted as either a "virgin" or a "vamp." Here the author analyzes four rape cases: a Salem, Oregon, marital rape case (1978); the New Bedford, Mass., gang rape case (1983); New York's so-called Preppy Murder case (1986); and the Central Park jogger rape case (1989). In each, Benedict shows how the language of reporters and columnists reflected their biases (anti-woman in all except the jogger case) and lamentably stereotyped thinking. Her conclusions: sex crimes against women are primarily expressions of misogyny and can be understood only by examining how society reinforces anti-female prejudices. This outstanding book should be required reading for all media people.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"An essential expose of rape myths in print journalism....She provides extremely comprehensive overviews and analyses of coverage in both the mainstream and the alternative press, indelibly raising the consciousness of her readers....There is as much for the general reader in this readable and incisive book as there is for the academic theorist or professional journalist."--Jane Caputi, The Women's Review of Books

"Helen Benedict calmly and crisply dissects the way misogyny and ignorance shape media coverage of crimes of sexual violence--biases that have increased during the past decade....A great gift for the journalists on your list--and to go by recent headlines, the judges and senators, too."--Katha Pollitt, The Nation

"Makes a powerful case for a new approach to the coverage of sex crimes by daily newspapers."--The New York Times Book Review

"This outstanding book should be required reading for all media people."--Publishers Weekly

"An essential purchase for communications and women's studies collections."--Library Journal

"Helen Benedict brilliantly analyzes the many ways in which the media perpetuates myths and stereotypes about rape. Elegantly written and carefully documented, Virgin or Vamp should be required reading for journalists -- and the rest of us."--Katha Pollitt, writer, The Nation

"Helen Benedict has done a fine job in uncovering bias and misinformation in news reports of some well-known rape cases. Virgin or Vamp will be a valuable aid wherever journalism is taught."--Susan Brownmiller, author of Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape

"Long Dong Silver. The rape trials of Willie Smith and Mike Tyson. Harassment and violence against women are more reported than ever, but public response, including press coverage reveals that many people still believe women provoke abuse--that punishment is their deserved condition. Helen Benedict's Virgin or Vamp could not be more timely and tough-minded. She peels back the myths that steer supposed objective journalism, never stinting on lively prose of the hidden injuries to women."--Laurie Stone, columnist, Village Voice

"Since Helen Benedict is both an authority on rape and a distinguished journalist, she is uniquely qualified to examine how journalists usually cover sex crimes. Her analysis of the biases and blunders of the press is thorough, lucid, and utterly persuasive....Virgin or Vamp is an exceedingly important book--necessary reading for conscientious reporters and editors, and for everyone concerned about the quality and fairness of what the press sees fit to print."--Ann Jones, author of Women Who Kill

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; First Edition edition (September 9, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195086651
• ISBN-13: 978-0195086652
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,146,270 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Helen Benedict (www.helenbenedict.com) is the author of six novels, five books of nonfiction and a play. Her latest novel,"Sand Queen," will be out in August, 2011 from Soho Press.

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Robert Olen Butler said about the book, "Every war eventually yields works of art which transcend politics and history and illuminate our shared humanity. Helen Benedict's brilliant new novel has done just that with this century's American war in Iraq. Sand Queen is an important book by one our finest literary artists."

"Sand Queen" is based on Benedict's research for her most recent nonfiction book, "The Lonely Soldier: The Private War of Women Serving in Iraq" (Beacon Press, 2009 and 2010). She won three major awards for that book and her articles on soldiers: The 2010 Exceptional Merit in Media Award from the National Women's Political Caucus, The Ken Book Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness for 2010, and the 2008 James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism.

Benedict has also testified twice to Congress on behalf of women in the military. She is a professor of journalism at Columbia University.

Further early praise for "Sand Queen":

"Helen Benedict's compelling story provides an intimate picture of what it means to be a soldier, what it's like to live on the battlefield, and what the ethical choices are that our troops have had to make in Iraq. At times funny, at times grimly painful, Sand Queen offers a new chapter in contemporary American history." -- Roxana Robinson, author of Cost

"Anyone who claims to value the lives of our soldiers should read this powerful, harrowing, and revelatory novel." -- Valerie Martin, author of The Confessions of Edward Day and Trespass

Benedict's earlier novels are The Edge of Eden, The Opposite of Love, The Sailor's Wife, Bad Angel, and A World Like This. The Los Angeles Times and New York and Chicago Public Libraries have named her novels best books of the year, and she has received fellowships from Yaddo, MacDowell, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and the Freedom Forum.

Her nonfiction includes Virgin or Vamp: How the Press Covers Sex Crimes, Portraits in Print and Recovery: How to Survive Sexual Assault.

Helen Benedict's other articles and essays have appeared in the New York Times Book Review, the Washington Post, Glamour, The Women's Review of Books, and in many other magazines. She has been published in many countries and is included in several anthologies. www.helenbenedict.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gripping read., November 12, 1999

By 

Maria Bevacqua (Mankato, Minn.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Virgin or Vamp: How the Press Covers Sex Crimes (Paperback)

Benedict's thought-provoking book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the myths of rape that continue to pervade our culture. Benedict places media coverage of sex crimes into historical perspective and casts light on our understanding of sexual violence and gender relations. This is a smart, readable book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and engrossing, November 9, 2005

By 

Carter (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Virgin or Vamp: How the Press Covers Sex Crimes (Paperback)

Ms. Benedict has written a remarkably thorough, well-researched, informative book that still avoids being dry or preachy. Anyone with an interest in media, crime, women's issues, or cultural criticism in general would do well to read this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars A detailed look at how the media potrays rape victims, January 16, 2011

By 

K. DeVitto "Ceit" (New Bedford,MA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Virgin or Vamp: How the Press Covers Sex Crimes (Paperback)

I learned a great deal reading this book. I had read it years ago, and just picked it up again. It really dives deep and explores how the media handles high profile rape cases.