This is a short post that I will probably hide from the front page…<\/p>\n
The intention with this is to be a collection of all my threads in which I’ve been asking Kotaku for accountability for how they have exploited, lied to, and endangering sexual assault survivors.
\nI’m putting all this in a post to keep track of the extend that I’ve been asking, and I’ve been ignored.
\nAfter they covered metoo in games last time, and got lauded for “great journalism” by people that know what they did to us, I’ve made a point to tweet about it once a day. That was too much. It’s pretty clear that (for the majority) allyship in games extends to just being a tool to make yourself look good as an ally, but when it comes down to it you can’t really stand for anything. Those that matter are those that are the most popular. If you’re a “nobody” then abusers here can pretty much exploit you every possible way they like, including benefiting from publishing your assault.<\/p>\n
I assume if Kotaku really cares about these issues they will care about making right on their own abuse.
\nI’ll keep making threads until they give a fuck about what they did.<\/p>\n
I don’t want this emotional labor to go to waste. I make a lot of points in these threads that I feel should be heard. I ask a lot of questions. None of them are rhetorical.<\/p>\n
Mine wasn’t the only instance of this happening, and I think it’s tremendously fucked up that they have done this to us (in the past, before it was cool to “stand by survivors and their stories”), and then went on to being lauded for their journalism on metoo in games. It’s as opportunistic as it is predatory. What they did: http:\/\/www.nathalielawhead.com\/candybox\/what-its-like-sharing-your-metoo-with-kotaku-a-cautionary-tale<\/a><\/p>\n How they handled it: http:\/\/www.nathalielawhead.com\/candybox\/an-open-letter-to-game-journalists-metoo-fighting-with-surviving-abusive-reporting-and-the-fallout-of-not-caring<\/a><\/p>\n With this second blog post, the “open letter”, I went to the extent to prove that there was a story. This was to do away with the excuse that “they did their best”. Since the harm caused by them wasn’t going away for me, I also shared emails to show how I was treated by them. This extended to me begging to have the details removed, their editor arguing on\/off the record, and then the hotline number being shared. I guess it’s easier to bully sexual assault survivors into silence, every time.<\/p>\n Later, as this open letter got shared, I heard from others that they had done the same thing to. I am not ok with that. I want accountability for this. It is fucked up, on a lot of very fundamental levels, that an outlet known for its “progressive journalism” does this to very vulnerable people, and then gets applauded for covering abuse. They should make their own abuse right.<\/p>\n I don’t exactly care if the journalist that did it “doesn’t work there anymore” because they published her stories. They supported her, and signal boosted the resulting articles that she abused survivors over. They benefited from this abuse as much as she did. Acting helpless and coming up with excuses when someone is calling for accountability, and demonstrable harm was caused, is just another way of avoiding responsibility. Kotaku is not exempt from being responsible for what they do here.<\/p>\n Update:<\/strong> Recently this went up describing the sexist, racist, and abusive work culture at Kotaku<\/a>. It makes mention of this situation and that there where people that tried to do something to make this better, but those in charge burned them out. Update:<\/strong> Grace In The Machine chimed in and wrote this<\/a> really powerful call to talk about accountability in games and games journalism. I’m adding it here because it pretty much says it all.<\/p>\n — — — — —<\/p>\n Following are all my threads calling for accountability (they are threads, click on the link to read the whole thread). ok and another thing, to those arguing that kotaku did good by "exposing" him. — Nathalie Lawhead (@alienmelon) March 12, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nI talked about why that’s not right in this thread<\/a>, and this is the most recent that breaks it down too<\/a>… I went over why this is wrong in a lot of threads<\/a>.
\nThere are likely over a hundred now, but I share here what I kept track of…<\/p>\n
\nWhat they did was heartless, cruel, irresponsible, and placed very vulnerable people in danger.<\/p>\n
\nDespite this I will continue to ask for accountability. I do not accept that they can do this horrible shit to people and then be viewed and lauded as “the good guys”.<\/em>
\nThis, along with the screenshots I shared here<\/a>, should prove that I was not lying like I was publicly made out to be by Stephen and Cecilia (those I view as largely responsible for doing this to me, and others).<\/p>\n
\nI will keep updating this post as I write them.
\nI’ve not heard an answer, or know of any action from them to actually make this right to the survivors that they abused.<\/p>\n\n
no they fucking did not.
i exposed him, and the other women that had the courage to speak and be sources did that.
kotaku took advantage of what happened to us for the sake of sensationalism. https:\/\/t.co\/siov8e1kSe<\/a><\/p>\n