A Lesson in How Not to Headline an Article About a Rape Case

I'm not familiar with KnoxBlogs.com's inner-workings to know if News Sentinel court reporter Jamie Satterfield needs a break from writing headlines, or if she was victimized by a lazy headline writer. I'd wager the latter, but either way, it's a trash headline for an article about the alleged rape of a 19-year-old woman.

From Jamie Satterfield of KnoxBlogs.com:

The presentment, returned by a Knox County grand jury last month, accuses Johnson of two specific acts of rape (graphic alert): vaginal rape and the forcing of oral sex. Williams is accused of aiding and abetting those two alleged acts. Williams is accused of two specific acts, both involving oral sex. Johnson is accused in the two counts against Williams of aiding and abetting those alleged crimes. Aiding and abetting, in this case, could mean a whole host of things, from egging on the alleged attack or failing to stop or report it to taking some proactive step to allow the alleged crime to occur. There is no charge of kidnapping so no actual constraint of the woman’s freedom is being alleged nor is there any mention in the presentment of physical force. It accuses the pair instead of “unlawfully and knowingly and coercively” (emphasis mine) sexually penetrating the woman.

Quite the (legal) party indeed.