AUSTRALIA
J-Wire
September 16, 2012 by J-Wire Staff
A Melbourne journalist has spoken at a forum focusing on the topic “Airing our Dirty Laundry: Child Sexual Abuse in the Media”.
Last year, Melbourne broadsheet The Age’s Jewel Topsfield wrote a story naming community leader Manny Waks as an alleged victim of child sexual abuse at Melbourne’s Yeshivah College. The report gave a name and a face to the victims of the abuse, and was instrumental in enabling other victims to come forward with their stories.
Inevitably the coverage also ignited debate about the way the Jewish community handles child sexual abuse and about Manny’s decision to take his story to the media.
Recently, a capacity audience at Melbourne’s Shira Hadasha heard community leader and anti-child sexual abuse campaigner Manny Waks and The Age Education Editor Topsfield speak at a forum titled Airing Our Dirty Laundry: Child Sexual Abuse in the Media. Senior journalist and former Australian Jewish News Editor Ashley Browne facilitated the forum. Ashley opened the forum with a range of questions to both Waks and Topsfield and the forum was subsequently opened to the floor.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.