News Watch: Hantavirus v Ebola. Teenage rapists avoid jail.

Content warning: This episode contains discussion and description of rape, sexual assault and male violence against women and girls.  “THE TERROR OF THE MEDIEVAL PLAGUE SHIP HAS RETURNED TO HAUNT THE WORLD!” The Telegraph compared the Hantavirus cruise outbreak to the literal bubonic plague which wiped out 50 million people. Hantavirus killed three. These unhinged headlines exposed a news industry pining for the next pandemic, when Covid clickbait saw news traffic and subscribers hit record growth. But if the media wanted a catastrophic outbreak with a death rate twice as high as the hantavirus cruise, they had one at their disposal. The Ebola epidemic in the Congo and Uganda began at the same time as the Hantavirus outbreak. It has killed a hundred times more people and been officially declared a global emergency by the WHO. In this news watch episode, Media Storm compares coverage of hantavirus and ebola across UK and US outlets. The findings are telling. In part two: three teenage boys in Hampshire, UK, were convicted of ten counts of rape against a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old girl, in two separate, calculated attacks. Their punishment? Community youth rehabilitation orders, restraining orders with an expiry date… and a £26 fine.  Plenty has been written in the press about Judge Nicholas Rowland’s lenient sentence and ‘himpathy’ for the boys: they have ADHD, low IQ and need not go to prison! The media outrage did achieve change (the Prime Minister spoke up). But what was found in only ONE article may be the most crucial part of the story: the rapist boys had been reported to police multiple times, including for alleged sexual violence.  Why does our media fail to point to wider patterns of control and manipulation when it comes to cases of extreme sexual violence? If this is a systemic failure of policing and justice, who will hold them to account?  You can sign the petition for a Judicial Accountability Framework here.  Write to your MP about how the EHRC’s new code will affect trans people here.  You can call Rape Crisis 24/7 for free on 0808 500 222.  This episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mathildamall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and Helena Wadia (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)  The music is by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us ⁠⁠@mediastormpod⁠ Edited by Toka Omer Qassem. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices