"The Yuck Factor"-Protective Moms,Custody and "Mainstream" Media Failures

Recently in a major address at the 7th Annual Battered Women's Custody conference(BMCC),Media Professor and award winning documentary producer, Garland Waller spoke passionately about the abject failure of mainstream media to properly cover Family Court Injustices where abused children are being placed in the custody of their abusers. Part of the blame for this repugnant custodial outcome can be laid squarely on the media for permitting the issue of child predators winning court sanctioned custody of their victims to remain virtually unreported reports Professor Waller. Despite the efforts of numerous national organizations, the national media continues to back away from one of the most compelling stories in American society today. Waller attributes the media's failure to report these shocking cases in part to the spinelessness of media corporate lawyers who are afraid of legal controversy where evidence is much more difficult to produce and to the "Yuck Factor"-the difficulty of entertaining the audience with the difficult and often depressing reality of child sexual molestation by family members.
   Waller was upbeat in the face of the media's inattention by suggesting that part of the responsibility of her audience,( protective moms, family members and interested professionals) is to create new strategies to deal with the mainstream media. Dealing with the mainstream media is important because social media has a hard time properly explaining the depth and breadth of Protective Mother's problems. As Waller stated, " a 140 character tweet will not tell this story". Professor Waller committed herself to helping protective moms create new strategies to overcome the deficits in media coverage caused by the large corporate newsocracy. 
   All of us attending the BMCC are grateful for Professor Waller's intelligent advocacy not only for the victim children but also for the victim mothers. Professor Waller is courageous, relentless and provocative in confronting the national media and we are thankful for her powerful commitment.