Since the first wave of the #MeToo movement in 2017, everything has moved very quickly for investigative journalist Améli Pineda. Embarked without really knowing it in a media coverage which was going to transform her journalistic career, she takes, five years later, the time to stop a moment to testify to the tremors of the movement and to shed light on the discussions.
It is first of all in a desire to see all the progress made since the first wave of denunciations, in 2017, to take a look behind to underline the stages of a planetary movement – and which one could qualify as historic. —, to document all this crossing and to see where we are today that Améli Pineda publishes What remains of #Me too ? in the new Somme Tout collection / The duty.
An essay that sheds light on the evolution of the movement, here in Quebec, but also to realize the changes made, particularly in terms of the media. “You know, before 2017, writing about sexual violence was practically unthinkable. Whereas today, headlines on this issue have become something we are capable of doing. And five years ago, we would never have believed that, ”says the journalist on the phone.
According to Mme Pineda, the media, and the lawyers who accompany them, had a reluctance vis-à-vis these coverages because they are in the private domain, unlike allegations of fraud or corruption, which are frequently in the headlines. “Then in 2017, what happens is that there is a movement. Strength in numbers lends credibility to testimonials […] Each is corroborated individually, but when you put them all together, it gives additional credibility and that’s kind of what allowed us to start doing journalistic investigations on this type of file, “she explains. .
The essay also gives us behind-the-scenes access to certain investigations carried out during these five years. The journalist takes stock of the repercussions in the lives of women who have made denunciations. Among them, Annick Charrette, the only woman who was able to file a criminal lawsuit against Gilbert Rozon, a lawsuit she lost. You can also read the testimony of Delphine Bergeron, administrator of the controversial page Say his name, who explains his approach and talks about public denunciations on the Internet. Prosecutor Rachelle Pitre, then head of the team specializing in sexual violence at the Montreal courthouse, describes the functioning of the justice system in relation to these assaults. Sandrine Ricci, researcher and lecturer at UQAM, dissects the movement, its influence, its evolution and observes the changes made to the movement since she began her doctoral research. A rigorous and richly documented overview that allows us to grasp the complexity and importance of the movement.
Expectations
A front-line observer, Améli Pineda takes a look at all the journalistic work done on this case since 2017. She tells in particular about the limits of her power, the tears and the expectations of people who often hope a lot from her. “It is certain that these are files that are very demanding. Because most of the women who confide in you have expectations, so you have to manage those expectations. »
Very aware of being often the first ear of these victims who want to obtain compensation, Ms.me Pineda emphasizes the importance of explaining to them his role in the story. “Each time, what impresses me is that people trust me. Often, for some, this is the first time they confide in someone. And that is big. These are very emotional moments during which I have to explain that I have journalistic rules to follow. And I think that’s what is sometimes painful because it’s to reduce it to something very rational. Because my job is […] I always try to explain to them, from the start, what my role is. And I never guarantee that I will be able to publish. I’m still working to publish, but unfortunately there are times when I’ve had to announce we’re not moving forward and that’s where it’s heartbreaking. My approach must correspond to journalistic rules and if that doesn’t work, I can’t go ahead. That’s the most difficult part,” she says.
With her essay, she also hopes to better explain what her work as a journalist consists of. She is not there to judge, but to report facts. A job that requires, unlike the information that circulates on social networks, time. Things accelerated in 2020. During this new wave, we pointed the finger more at the aggressors. ” We realize [alors] that they too are people around us, whom we know, whom we appreciate”, underlines Améli Pineda.
“It was going super fast on social networks […] much faster than a journalistic approach. People had expectations, were impatient, they said that the journalists did not talk about it. But all that is a question of sources and time. We had to take the time to verify certain allegations. Why these rather than others? continues the journalist.
Things change
Five years later, after the waves of 2017 and 2020, where are we? “We are in the process of transformation, so we don’t know yet where it will take us. But we are no longer at the same stage as we were in 2017. And we cannot ignore what happened at the time, this speaking out there […] “, explains M.me Pineda.
“When the victims denounced [les violences qu’elles avaient subies] in 2017, they put faces to data that had been around forever and showed what a victim of sexual assault looks like. We realized that it could be us, that these were people who looked like our surroundings. The victims also wanted to prevent others from having it happen to them, and to prevent the alleged assailant from reoffending. Justice told them “trust us”, and some did. They went to complain to the police. But the role of the justice system is to punish. While the expectations of the victims are to heal or to repair. It’s a little incompatible, the role and the expectations. Although justice is evolving, everything is still fragile.
So how do you get out of it? Are there solutions to establish a balance, to reach agreements? According to the journalist, restorative justice is one of the possible solutions, but it still remains unrealistic, at least in the current form of the justice system.
The problem is that an accused who would agree to sit in front of his alleged victim would in some way be making an admission of guilt. In the same way, a victim who would agree to listen to his aggressor would show an openness. “It could mean she doesn’t really want him to go to jail,” Ms.me Pineda.
She emphasizes that there is still a lot to do, but in five years, a real media and social giant step has been taken.
What’s left of #MeToo? thus makes it possible to note this progress while opening the discussion, and to continue the collective reflection. “I think we have to come up with something, but I don’t know how long it’s going to take. There are solutions within our reach […], but you have to deconstruct certain established rules to get there. It will depend on the political and judicial will. “One thing is certain, the journalist remains at the post” at least for the next five years “, with great eagerness to know the rest.