#MeToo explosion named story of the year
The public conversation on sexual harassment and assault sparked by the allegations against Hollywood giant Harvey Weinstein and the #metoo hashtag that saw Canadians of all walks of life share stories of misconduct has been selected as Canada’s News Story of the Year for 2017.
The Canadian Press annual survey of news editors and reporters from across the country saw 23 out of 80 votes cast for sexual harassment as the most compelling story of the year, with the ongoing fentanyl crisis coming in second with 18 votes.
Darren Krause, managing editor of Metro Calgary, said the issue could be “the news story of the decade.”
“While it started in 2017, I think it will be one of the most reported issues in 2018,” he wrote.
The allegations that emerged this fall against Weinstein, an Oscar-winning producer, opened a floodgate of similar accusations that spread to Canada and affected virtually every industry, from the arts and sports to politics and law enforcement.
Several powerful men, including Just For Laughs founder Gilbert Rozon and Sportsnet baseball analyst Gregg Zaun, were fired or stepped down amid allegations of sexual misconduct. As the list of allegations grew, many institutions raced to tackle sexual harassment in their ranks. The year also saw police forces across the country, including the RCMP, review how they handle sexual assault complaints after it was revealed that many were dismissed as unfounded. As a result, several forces reopened cases that had previously been written off.