A skewed media debate?

Thank heavens for Libby Brooks. No really. Her contribution today in the Guardian in response to The Times and subsequently the Daily Mail’s disproportionate and skewed coverage about ‘Asian gangs preying on white girl’s’, might not stop the wholesale demonisation of Asian men, but at least some may read her piece and think there is more to this than the screaming Times headline.

Other than the recent general elections it is difficult to find another story in which the Times newspaper dedicated five full pages including a front page to their top story.

This maybe because the first full week back from the Christmas break is a notoriously slow news week, but does that really justify this media deluge that taints Pakistani Muslims, Muslim men and Asian communities in this negative way?   

Those who hate people of colour particularly Muslims have been quick out  the blocks:  The BNP website proudly boasted: ‘Media Admits that Nick Griffin Has Been Right all Along over Muslim Pedophile Gangs’.

Taking a historical perspective Brooks writes in the Guardian that ‘there is an ignoble tradition of racialising criminality in this country’, and this is precisely the point.

Men who abuse women  are criminals and should be prosecuted as such. No community wants these criminals among them, much less beleagued BME communities who are always made to feel guilty for the crimes committed by others from the same race or religion.  

The overwhelming majority of pedophilia is committed by white middle aged. Furthermore, according to Engage, this is even true in the geographical area mentioned in the Times. They state that 80% of these crimes are committed by white men. Yet because this crime is never racialised unless it is Black or Asian, innocent white middle-aged men do not have to feel a collective guilt and defensively question - ‘do they think I’m a pedophile?’.

No one wants to brush any criminal activity that occurs in their communities under the carpet, but I for one thank Libby Brooks for demanding proportionality.

Read Libby Brooks full Guardian article 'Grooming and our ignoble tradition of racialising crime' here.

Simon Woolley