in brief: sunrise apologise for post victim blaming women affected by revenge porn

Victim blaming: it’s not something mass media should do.

On Wednesday, Channel Seven’s Sunrise breakfast show did just that as it published a Facebook post about Australian women’s nude photos being uploaded to an American revenge porn website.

The post, detailing a story affecting 500 women, had the caption: ‘What’s it going to take for women to get the message about taking and sending nude photos?’

The post sparked a Change.org petition for the programme to apologise for its language, being successful in its bid with less than 500 signatures.

‘We apologise unreservedly to anyone offended by a post that was made on the Sunrise Facebook page regarding nude photos and online security yesterday, and in particular to the victims,’ Fairfax reports Yahoo7’s apology states.

‘Whilst it was not our intention we appreciate that the wording of the post was insensitive.

‘The post has been removed.’

On social media, many people posted their condemnation of Sunrise’s victim blaming.

Among them, Feminist writer Clementine Ford posted an implied nude selfie to her Facebook page, scrawling the line ‘HEY #SUNRISE, GET FUCKED’ [sic] in black marker on her chest.

‘When Channel 7’s Sunrise asks “when will women learn” instead of “why do men continue to view women as objects they can defile and violate while the world watches and tut-tuts”, they are victim blaming,’ Ford wrote in the image caption.

The issue is just one of a plethora of political correctness issues orbiting the show.

Co-host Samantha Armytage came under fire for offensive comments regarding race in April, and has previously been called out for her own internalised sexism.

A media feud erupting between Mamamia writers and co-host David Koch over his alleged sexism resulted in death and rape threats towards Editor Jamila Rizvi and publisher Mia Freedman.

“Kochie” has also been under intense scrutiny for his comments regarding breastfeeding and women with tattoos.

While there has been an apology for the revenge porn post, what’s it going to take for Sunrise to get the message about sexism?