In response to how well the news media covered the Bill Cosby rape allegations, I would say they were successful in birthing the story to the public and creating the spark of interest. However, if we discuss if the media was able to hold the attention of the public with their approach, I would have to disagree. Most of what has been published is basically repetitive. It includes the perspectives of all the alleged rape victims but never solid evidence of what Bill Cosby is being accussed of.  The media’s sole  responsability is to transcribe facts to the rest of world, but something can only be fact when proven, and that is the opposite of what they are portraying.

An issue that reporters may frequently battle when reporting the news is staying neutral. It is important for the reporter to stick to the evidence  at hand while respecting the person that is being accussed and the victim as well. It is easy to get carried away with assumptions, but it is the report’s duty to be completely unbiased. A challenge that reporters has to deal with was the lack of proof and the credibility of it. Some of women that were victims at the hands of Bill Cosby took years to come forward with their accusations. This in turn questions whether or not they are even true or not. Stemming off of that, reporters must choose their words carefully. This is important for the victims’ support and sensitivity. Having no hard evidence is definietly the number one challenge in this case. Sources do state that Cosby will make a public appearance in October 2015 touching on the allegations. This is the hard evidence that the media has been waiting for.

The three articles pose different arguments regarding the Bill Cosby Rape allegations. The first article brings up a good point about how many media outlets ignored the initial allegations, in which some happened almost ten years ago. The issue presented here is that rape is a very sensitive issue, however that doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be addressed, especially when it comes to public figures.

In contrast, the first article states that police declined to file charges that one of the women initially filed against Cosby. The questions that should be asked in regards to this situation is why the officer failed to file the claims, and was this information made available to the public? If it was public knowledge then all media outlets are responsible for not covering this important issue, whether it is one or ten “Jane Does.” If it was not public knowledge than media outlets were at a disadvantage in terms of reporting the facts.

More disadvantages and challenges the media faced when covering the allegations are lack of factual information, sensitivity of the situation, and also defamation of character. Due to the lack of victims that initially came forward, the allegations seemed false based on Cosby’s reputation. The more women that came forward, the more credible the issue seemed to be. In no way am I saying that one victim is not enough to address the allegations. I am simply stating that for some media outlets and spectators, Bill Cosby is viewed as one of “America’s Heroes,” and could have been in denial.

The second article states that Oprah and Don Lemon never questioned Cosby about rape allegations, however the third articles says that Cosby was not one to speak about his personal life. As an interviewer, whether you are Oprah or a Baruch Student you should respect your interviewee and their demands, especially ones given prior to being on air.

My issue with the second article is that it is very one-dimensional and lacks common knowledge. It talks about R. Kelly, Terrence Howard, and Whoopi Goldberg’s comment about rape. It seems as if the author is making the connection of them being African-American to support his argument, as to why they didn’t question Bill Cosby. I am certain that Oprah and Don Lemon were not the only ones to have interviewed Cosby within those years.

Moving forward hopefully the media will cover such issues in a more urgent matter, and not allow the number of victims to dictate the reporting, as long as the information is factual and has evidence to support it.

One of the main conflicts met by news and media with a story such as this one is the shock of it all. One of America’s most beloved comedians drugging and raping up to 50 women is tough for most to understand and believe. The image he so strongly built and upheld seemed to be more powerful than the few first allegations that arose ten years ago, resulting in many major news organizations to ignore the story. The Columbian Journalism Review accurately stated that “Cosby was one of an odd collection of celebrities with unsavory stories in their past that curiously were either not mentioned or downplayed.”

However, once a new source that is credible and large enough publishes a piece acknowledging the allegations, journalists jump on the subject. Most of them twisting the delayed response into a controversial news story to get more readers hooked without directly addressing Cosby. In this way, the news publication has done its job in reporting the news, while still keeping a safe distance by not sitting down with the supposed rapist.

By writing from only one point of view, that of the women who had been drugged and raped, the news media are not getting a complete and accurate story. It is their job to sit down with Cosby or someone who represents him and get the other half of the story in order to keep the public well informed.

I believe that with this particular story, the news played both sides, protecting Cosby and his reputation while also throwing him under the bus to protect their reputations.

In his hit show, The Cosby Family, Bill Cosby seemed to be the face of upstanding moral values after the show ran its course of eight years. Today it seems that everyone’s favorite 80’s TV sitcom dad is anything but the face of moral values. After being accused by 25 women, Cosby is under total fire regarding rape allegations.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/07/us/bill-cosby-quaaludes-sexual-assault-allegations/

http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/13/showbiz/gallery/cosby-accusers/index.htm

Cosby’s M.O. is the same with all victims- the actor/comedian lures young women, mostly in their20’s, to a private room where they are provided a drug and then later wake up dizzy in an uncompromising and unconsenstual position with Cosby. Most of his victims were young Hollywood types looking for mentorship in the 1960’s-80’s. None of these accusations came to light until 2005 when Andrea Constrand, a Temple University employee accused Cosby of drugging her after a comedy show.

Most articles can’t directly prove that Cosby did what he did, but CNN’s coverage of the sworn deposition points all directions towards guilty. Cosby admits to getting seven perscriptions of Quaaludes with the intention of giving them to women in order to sedate them and sleep with them. While his lawyer does not let him say if he followed through with such plans, all of these previous allegations from these women today are not putting Cosby in good graces. Cosby’s ambiguous answer isn’t helping his cause. Until Cosby admits to being guilty or not guilty of such accusations, the public is going to believe this overwhelming amount of women.

In the 80’s to the early 90’s there were not many black families on television.  The Cosby show starring Bill Cosby portrayed a health black family built on a strong moral compass.  We watch Bill and the family grow with us for 8 years even sending his daughter played by actress Lisa Bonet off to a fictional black college Hillman.  This show based on such positivity makes it so hard to accept the allegations against Cosby.

At the current date the count is up to 46 women making allegations of sexual misconduct on Cosby.  Many reporting that Bill offered them a drink and then they remember walking up in compromising positions that under normal circumstances they would have never engaged in.

Cosby has admitted under oath to obtaining Quaalude’s to give to women but denies sexually assaulting these women.

Huffington post Cosby Article

The evidence in this case keeps building up against Cosby.  Most of the accusers have all passed the statue to prosecute him for these allegations.

Its very hard to see someone who you respected at a father figure and who has been outspoken in the portrayal of blacks in this country be accused of something so vile and disgusting as rape.  I would honestly hate for this to be true but 46 women accusing him is quite a lot.  I could also understand their fear of coming out against Americas favorite Black dad.

Hopefully this situation allows others who are victim to rape feel comfortable coming forward and getting justice for this crime no matter how famous the accuser is.

Bill Cosby starred in “The Cosby Show” in the 1980s and 1990s as America’s Dad every week on NBC for eight seasons.  He  was the father of an upper class African American family living in Brooklyn Heights, New York. The sitcom had comedy relief, but also dealt with serious subjects. Cosby was seen as a role model because of the way he dealt with topics in the show that affected kids watching.

The rape allegations first surfaced in 2005 because of a civil suit brought to light by Andrea Constand, a former employee of Temple University. She looked up to Cosby as a mentor and would often have dinners at his house. When she went over his house in 2004 for one of the routine suppers, he drugged her and sexually assaulted her. When she claimed that she could bring forward a dozen more women who would testify against Cosby that they were in similar circumstances, he settled the case for an undisclosed amount of money.

It is hard for news sources to cover a topic like this because at first, it was one women against a comedian/actor who has a powerful role in the media. Without more evidence, the allegations could be lies. Excessive coverage could then lead to a journalist tarnishing the reputation of an American hero.  This is because the minds of America would not believe that Bill Cosby could go against his morals off camera and be a lovable father on set. It is important to have the story straight before telling it. If the District Attorney was not able to arrest Cosby because of lack of evidence, than news broadcasters risked destroying their own careers for the same reason. To avoid that, they waited to report until the deposition was released to the public and more women confessed about being molested.

In my opinion, recently the news has done a fairly good job of covering the Bill Cosby rape allegations. There is a fair amount of articles out which tell the victims’ sides of the story and give them a voice. However, in terms of covering that Bill Cosby admitted to buying quaaludes in the ’70s and that he admitted to giving them to women but refused to answer certain questions about whether it was against the women’s wills or if they knew they were taking quaaludes is poor. There is substantial coverage saying that this woman “claimed” or “another Jane Doe” comes out, etc. But the way it is worded and the way it is presented make it seem incredible as if 50+ women are all lying about a traumatic event such as this.

It is of course a journalist’s job to maintain facts and to not present things as fact when it is not necessarily evident that they are fact, but it does a lot to discredit the victims and empowers Cosby when coverage of his admission is not as prevalent as the allegations.

And this is of course the first challenge that journalists face when covering a story such as this. Cosby is not likely to admit to drugging and raping all these women and without an admission or “substantial evidence” journalists cannot tell the victims’ stories as pure fact. It is still technically up for debate whether or not he raped these women and journalists have to present the story in this light no matter how many women come forward. It is a terrifying reality because what evidence other than the traumatic stories do these women have after all this time has passed without the proper coverage? Their stories come off to some as grasps for 15 minutes of fame because they cannot “prove” they were raped. It is the horrific truth of the situation. How does one prove they were raped 10, 20, or 30 years ago?

Another challenge journalists face is presenting Cosby’s story. I can imagine many journalists do believe the victims and want to paint them in a good light. But they must be “fair and balanced” and therefore must give Cosby the opportunity to comment on the accusations.

However, probably the biggest challenge is presenting the victims with the respect they deserve. How does one go about preserving the victims’ dignity while telling their stories? How does one present them as the strong resilient women they are without sacrificing the grief and trauma they’ve endured over the years? The answer lies somewhere in a gray area and it is a journalists job to make sure that these women are not portrayed as attention-seekers or liars because the odds are already against the victim and it is unfair to besmirch them further.

Bill Cosby ,an American stand up comedian who is also well know for his work on The Cosby , is facing a series of historic sexual assault allegations dating back several decades, but has not been charged with any crimes. These allegations have dated as far back as 2002. Although it has not been up until now within 2015 that these stories have caught the attention of the public.

There are several factors to take into consideration. For starters issue journalists faced was the lack of evidence and crucial information that would help support these claims. In this type of situation it is naturally difficult to discuss about stories that may not be true. Instead it is quite simple to focus on the positive stories that are true and can providence information and evidence such as Bill Cosby’s professional career and accomplishments. As well as his impact on society.

In terms of relative and strong evidence most journalists and news organizations tend to focus primarily on the various stories of the rape victims who talked about their sexual assault.  At the same time Bill Cosby has refused to speak about his involvement with these women. So with a lack of supportive evidence this results in a difficult story for the media to cover on. Due to the prolonged truth on this story as well as the lack of real evidence it has divided society into whether or not the believe these accusations against Bill Cosby. The constantly growing line between rumors and the truth has made this a difficult story for most news organizations.

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Firstly, for a story to be able to make it to the headlines, it needs to be a topic that makes money. Looking at the history of Cosby’s rape allegations, it started as early as 2002 and never managed to catch society’s eye until 2015. Why is that?  Considering the money Cosby was making  from his career with his series and movies and promoting family togetherness, it was much easier to make millions off of his good deeds than to try to crush the sales by bringing up the allegations.

Another issue with the news coverage of Cosby’s rape allegations is that it only focuses on the stories of the rape victims. For most of the news websites that I have encountered, they all had similar stories of women who came out to talk about their assault. However there is no proof of these stories being real. Also, with Bill Cosby refusing to come out and answer if he did rape these women or not makes it a hard story to hold on to. Many people will start to believe that the stories are fake or think, “Why are they just coming out now?”. Furthermore, the reader doesn’t get the whole story of the rape assaults from the news. They get the who, what, and when but never the how and why. We’re left wondering if Cosby really did it and if so, why has it been so hushed for a decade? Prolonging the time makes the story less powerful.

With trying to work around not having all the facts, reporters have to bring in other strategies to keep the story alive. For example, it seems like they have created a Pro-Cosby and Anti-Cosby take on the allegations. Articles are published where people believe that the rape victims are telling the truth and then there are articles with people, like Damon Wayans, defending Cosby against these “lies”. These different views of who is right or wrong gets pushed to the forefront that makes the news seem like a war than an informational fact.  The news needs to stick to being information instead of gossip. There’s a very thin line between the two and it seems like the articles I read was more for gossip. We need to stick to the facts and try to get the real answer of if Cosby raped these women than assuming if he did.