The Associated Press
byDylan Gwinn20 Dec 20170
Former ESPN reporter Britt McHenry has been quite outspoken since getting laid-off by ESPN in April of 2017. For the most part, McHenry has spoken out on issues regarding media bias and politics.
However, now she’s speaking out on the sexual politics of sports, something she claims to have seen firsthand.
With sex scandals raging across the world of politics, entertainment, and now, sports; Mediaite’s John Ziegler asked McHenry about any experiences she may have with sexual harassment, during a recent podcast appearance.
McHenry recalled several instances where athletes hit on her while she was doing her job as a reporter for ESPN. Ziegler then followed-up by asking whether the practice of selecting attractive women to go into locker-rooms, cultivates a culture of harassment.
While McHenry said that her personal experiences remained professional, she also asserted that she had seen female reporters use their sex appeal to get breaking stories, and advance in their careers.
McHenry said:
I have seen women use that to their advantage, or perhaps crossed lines, or maybe didn’t act as professional either. So I don’t think we should look at this as a one-gender type of offense as we try to clean up the corporate culture. I think at times we need to really take a full look at what’s going on, and give it some investigation before just blatantly firing people and ruing reputations.
Ziegler also asked, given the recent surge in sexual harassment allegations, if she ever had an experience that now, in hindsight, seemed serious. McHenry said that a fellow employee kissed her on the lips once, without her permission. Though, she handled that situation by making sure to avoid that person.
McHenry also pointed out the dangers the #MeToo movement poses to the even platonic male-female relationships.
McHenry said:
I have a lot of friends who are males and a lot of male colleagues that I don’t want them to think ‘oh my gosh, can I not shoot her a text or is this going to be taken out of context.’ That’s sort of what we’re starting to see now.
The entire podcast can be listened to here.
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