A reporter for The Hill went public on Monday about everyday sexual harassment female correspondents like her face — not from their bosses, but from male sources they are interviewing for work.
“Received this text on Saturday from a male source who I had professional drinks with last week,” Miranda Green wrote. “This is the reality of being a female reporter that’s not often depicted on TV.”
In the tweet, Green included an image of a screenshot she took of a text exchange in which an unidentified man suggests they have drinks naked. When Green tells the man he has been too forward, he responds by saying, “Well I blame your sexy ass.”
Received this text on Saturday from a male source who I had professional drinks with last week.
This is the reality of being a female reporter that’s not often depicted on TV. pic.twitter.com/2dhq8MutzN
— Miranda Green (@mirandacgreen) October 8, 2018
Green, a former CNN writer who has covered energy and the environment for The Hill since January, pointedly declined requests to name the individual and did not respond to a series of questions about the post.
In less than 24 hours, Green’s tweet racked up more than 11,000 retweets with admirers offering their support, while others — including many journalists — shared their own stories.
“I’m a food writer & once I interviewed the founder of a restaurant chain. I showed up to find a table full of men insisting I eat, even though I said I was just there to talk,” said Washington Post reporter Maura Judkis. “They didn’t really eat but watched me eat. One said I had an appetite ‘like a piggy’ & they all laughed.”
Florida-based freelancer Britni de la Cretaz said, “I had a male source ask me for nude photos one time after I’d done two hour-long interviews with him for a story.
And Canada-based reporter Jean Strong said she often wore a “fake engagement ring” when meeting professional contacts to ward off unwanted advances.
https://twitter.com/MauraJudkis/status/1049520916030472192
“Your legs are so strong and sexy” as I left an interview. That and many others mean I often wear a fake engagement ring while working 🙄 https://t.co/36oyO25MJX
— Jean Strong (@jeanbstrong) October 9, 2018
https://twitter.com/britnidlc/status/1049355639762440197
https://twitter.com/KhushbuOShea/status/1049371649353699328
https://twitter.com/SocialKimLy/status/1049375508658626561
Many others who didn’t have their own stores nevertheless remarked on the unique blend of arrogance and stupidity it would require for a reporter’s interview subject to be so foolish.
In a follow-up to her own tweet, Green said that most of her male sources were lovely and the individual who send her the message was not representative of most of her professional contacts.
“I can confidently say most men have nothing to worry about because they would not act this way,” she said.