And Now For More Boston Globe Bashing - LXIII

It seems the Boston Globe is real eager to publicize local media's run-ins with accusations of sexual harassment:

The Globe has written stories about individuals such as WBUR’s Tom Ashbrook, Boston union leader Tyrek Lee, and NESN anchor Marc James, who exchanged texts with a woman who turned down his requests for a date.

More on James in a minute, but would you care to guess the organization that the Boston Globe refuses to name about a 'prominent State House reporter'?

A PROMINENT BOSTON GLOBE State House reporter, who was the subject of an internal sexual harassment complaint, was forced out last month after reporters and editors at the paper learned he allegedly initiated inappropriate communications with women who work on Beacon Hill, who were fearful of rebuffing his advances outright because of his position, say sources.

Someone put two and two together:

According to sources familiar with the situation, Jim O’Sullivan, a longtime State House fixture who had been one of the Globe’s leading political reporters, was forced to resign after Globe reporters were alerted during the course of reporting on sexual harassment in the Legislature that he had uncomfortable and unwanted written communications with at least one woman, and possibly a second, who had work-related dealings with the Globe. It’s unclear whether the women worked in state government or in some other capacity on Beacon Hill.

The forced resignation came eight months after O’Sullivan was the subject of a complaint to the Globe’s human resources department by a young woman who worked at the paper. The internal incident was detailed as part of a larger story the Globe ran on December 8 about sexual harassment in the media. O’Sullivan was not named in the article, which referred only to a “male employee” journalist at the paper, a decision that has stirred controversy because of the Globe’s coverage of the so-called #MeToo movement and its willingness to name names in covering other incidents.

And why won't the Boston Globe acknowledge this or name the reporter?

In his memo to staff, McGrory defended his decision as a matter of standards.

Standards, as in 'double standard'! It's also clear that there may be at least two others, and the Globe has clammed up on those names as well. Someone else will have to step up and report the names; the Globe won't do it.

Now this part's worrisome - about Marc James, it's reported that his 'crime' was being turned down for what seems to be two or more requests for a date. If that's all it was, do we really want to criminalize men asking women for dates and / or characterizing it as sexual harassment? If that's the case, it's clear this #MeToo thing has gotten way out of hand.

I did a little more digging about Marc James, and the harassment charge stems from him snapping and flipping out on the woman after he was turned down. I'm leaving the above paragraph up because it seems to me that this issue is now 'trial by social media' in which every accused man is deemed guilty and his career ruined, and I don't think we're far away from criminalizing or browbeating men for asking a woman out on a date. There's a reason books like this one get written.