Huron Expositor, 2014-12-17, Page 9Wednesday, December 17, 2014 • Huron Expositor 9
QMI Agency Newsmaker of 2014: Jian Ghomeshi
Ted Rath
QMI Agency
It's rare such a newsmaker
comes from out of the blue
and changes the conversa-
tion of a country.
But such was the story of
Jian Ghomeshi in 2014, QMI
Agency's choice for News-
maker of the Year.
Picked by the majority of
QMI Agency editors in news-
rooms across the country,
the CBC radio superstar's
confession that his rough
"tastes in the bedroom" got
him kicked off the air turned
quickly into a deeper discus-
sion about how we deal with
sexual abuse and harass-
ment in our society.
It was a watershed that
started with a Facebook post
in late October.
In response to the CBC
announcing it had dumped
its most popular radio host,
Ghomeshi took to social
media to win what he hoped
would be a public relations
battle.
"Dear everyone," the post
started, in his famously
friendly tone.
He defined his firing as
nothing more than the CBC's
disapproval of his sexual
habits, which he argued are
nobody's business but his
own. He said he was the
victim of a smear campaign
by a spiteful ex-girlfriend. He
swore he'd fight it, launching
a $55 -million lawsuit.
Supporters stood by him.
Then came the accusers —
nameless at first, then some
identifying themselves —
telling stories of how Gho-
meshi choked and hit them
on dates, of aggressive sexual
advances, and of workplace
harassment. His supporters
quickly disappeared.
Then came the charges —
four counts of sexual assault
and one count of choking.
The aftershocks were felt
on Parliament Hill, where
more stories of sexual har-
assment followed.
Political employees shared
frightening stories of sexual
bullying and casual harass-
ment in the world of politics.
Former deputy prime
minister Sheila Copps told
her own tale of sexual abuse
while a politician.
Liberal Leader Justin
Trudeau suspended a pair of
his MPs — Massimo Pacetti
and Scott Andrews — after
hearing allegations of "per-
sonal misconduct" from a
pair of NDP MPs.
By coincidence, a similar
story began playing out in
the U.S., as women lined up
to accuse legendary come-
dian Bill Cosby of date rape.
What's more, they gave
their names.
Trailer Park Boys actor
Lucy DeCoutere was among
the first to allow her name to
be used when she told a tale
of a bad date with Ghome-
shi. She even waived a publi-
cation ban on her name as
her case is before the courts.
The Ghomeshi affair
appears to have given
strength to a legion of
women willing to identify
themselves and face
abusers.
As Ghomeshi's charges
wind through the courts in
2015, the discussion will no
doubt stay with us.
"Ghomeshi's fall from
media darling to outcast is
remarkable, but how his
story got people talking
about their own experiences
of abuse or harassment is
what makes him a top news-
maker, although no doubt a
reluctant one," Owen Sound
Sun Times managing editor
Doug Edgar wrote in his
vote.
"The details were rivet-
ing," wrote Monique Beech,
Sun Media's digital content
director, "the testimonials
from alleged victims com-
pelling and the larger public
conversation around sexual
abuse that it sparked
necessary."
QMI Agency
Jian Ghomeshi leaves College Park Court with lawyer Marie Henein after being freed on bail on
Wednesday, November 26, 2014.
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