Covering Modern Day Slavery:

A Study of the Intersection of Journalism and Sex Trafficking in the United States and Abroad

Amanda Huber

Southern Methodist University

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Abstract

This paper discusses sex trafficking in the context of the Universal Declaration of Human

Rights (UDHR) and the media. Beginning with a history of the UDHR, it will then explain which

articles of the UDHR are applicable to sex trafficking, how sex trafficking violates these articles,

and how different countries work to fight these human rights violations. Next, it will explore

statistics both in the United States and Texas, as well as how these statistics compare to other

regions of the world, and what legislation the U.S. currently has in place to combat sex

trafficking offenses. Then it will begin to evaluate sex trafficking from a journalistic lens through

evaluating how various issues such as selective perception, stereotypes, compassion fatigue, the

intervention dilemma, and different types of journalism affect the media’s coverage of sex

trafficking. Finally, the paper will analyze four different media organizations’ coverage of

human trafficking, drawing on suggestions from media and human rights organizations, and offer

insight into a local journalist’s experiences with covering sex trafficking. To conclude, it will

reiterate which media organization’s were successful in covering the issue and the role of

journalists in covering sex trafficking.

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History: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Historically, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was not the first

documentation of human rights. In fact, the concept of human rights dates back to 539 B.C. when

Cyrus the Great created The Cyrus Cylinder, a clay tablet that stated rights including freedom

from slavery and freedom of religion (Youth for Human Rights). Cyrus the Great was a man of

his word, and along with the creation of the Cylinder, he freed all the slaves of Babylon (Youth

for Human Rights).

This idea of fundamental rights spread into Roman civilization, where the idea of a

natural equality of human beings was expressed through the philosophical works of Cicero,

Seneca, and Epictetus (A Global Ethic Now). Although both leaders and citizens were beginning

to understand, define, and articulate these rights, they continued to live in societies where such

rights were violated. For example, Roman civilization was heavily reliant on slave labor, despite

expressing human rights in their laws (A Global Ethic Now).

This contradiction of countries expressing their belief in fundamental rights and blatantly

ignoring them extends far beyond ancient civilization and throughout modern history.

Another set of documents that are considered to be groundbreaking in the development of

human rights are the American Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

However, the paradox in these declarations lies in the statement, “We hold these truths to

be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with

certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”

(Bowman, 2016). In America, all men were not created equal as the Constitution states that

slaves only qualify as “three fifths” of a person in Article I Section 2 (Bowman, 2016; U.S.
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Const. art. I, § 2). Slavery would not be abolished until the adoption of the 13th Amendment in

1865 (U.S. Const. amend. XIII).

The UDHR was proclaimed on December 10, 1948 by the United Nations General

Assembly. The UN intended for the document to become a “common standard of achievements

for all peoples and all nations” (United Nations). The Declaration represents the first documented

effort to enumerate fundamental human rights that deserve universal protection (United Nations).

This document’s 30 articles state fundamental human rights worth fighting for, but its

creation did not signify the achievement of these rights. In many places around the world people

are still suffering from many of the injustices that prompted the creation of the UDHR.

Globally, we continue to fight the paradox of free nations living in the midst of

modern-day slavery even though it is clearly forbidden by Article 3, Article 4, and Article 5 of

the UDHR.

Like in the beginning of the development of human rights, the first step to fighting an

injustice is calling it by its name. The United Nations defines human trafficking as​, “the

recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons by improper means (such as

force, abduction, fraud, or coercion) for an improper purpose including forced labor or sexual

exploitation” (National Institute of Justice). ​Sex trafficking is a modern version of slavery, and

its victims deserve our continued efforts in the fight for truly achieving fundamental human

rights.

The UDHR and Sex Trafficking

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There are three main articles from the UDHR applicable to sex trafficking: Articles 3

through 5. They state, respectively, that, “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of

person”, “No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be

prohibited in all their forms”, and “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or

degrading treatment or punishment” (United Nations). Although Article 4 is the most directly

applicable statement, Article 3 emphasizes the violation of human trafficking in stripping one of

their liberty and security, while Article 5 alludes to the inhumane and degrading treatment

victims of sex trafficking are subjected to.

Enforcement of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The UN has created multiple enforcement mechanisms since the ratification of the

UDHR including the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (CESCR), the Office

of the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR), the Human Rights

Council (HRC), and treaty-monitoring groups like The Committee on the Elimination of

Discrimination Against Women (​International Network for Economic, Social & Cultural Rights

[ESCR])​.

The CESCR is a group of 18 human rights experts run under and elected by the United

Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) (ESCR). Their job is to monitor that nations

are fulfilling their obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and

Cultural Rights, which requires states to prepare reports every five years on the status of

economic, social, and cultural rights in their country (ESCR). The CESCR will then review these
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reports and release their own reports highlighting the achievements and difficulties in achieving

these rights, as well as areas of concern and recommendations (ESCR).

Despite this variety of mechanisms available to the UN for monitoring and reporting on

the global progress of human rights, there is no internationally enforceable human rights law, so

recommendations and transparency are the most effective tools available to the UN in its fight

for universal human rights.

Statistics

Quantifying the exact number of victims currently enslaved by sex traffickers is difficult

because the most accurate count comes from the number of identified victims, but there are many

unidentified victims waiting to be freed. In 2017, the U.S. Department of State identified

100,409 victims of human trafficking worldwide, which included sex trafficked victims as well

as victims trafficked for labor and other purposes (U.S. Department of State, 2018). However, a

2017 fact sheet from Human Rights First estimates that as many as 24.9 million victims are

trapped in modern-day slavery, and an estimated 4.8 million of these victims are being sexually

exploited (Human Rights First, 2017).

One way the non-profit Polaris Project tracks incidents of sex trafficking in the U.S. is

through the number of calls reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline (NHTH). In

2017, there were 8,759 cases of human trafficking reporter to NHTH, which represents around

10,000 individual victims (Polaris Project, 2017). Sex trafficking was the most reported case, and

of all trafficking cases around 80 percent of the victims were women and girls (Polaris Project,

2017). The Human Trafficking Hotline also ranks these cases by state, and of the calls in the
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U.S. the most human trafficking cases were reported in California, Texas, Florida, and Ohio

respectively (National Human Trafficking Hotline). Although Texas does have significantly

higher numbers than most states in this study, and a study by Allies Against Slavery that

estimates there are actually as many as 79,000 minors and youth are victims of sex trafficking in

Texas, this is in part due to the states larger population (Allies Against Slavery).

Based on these studies and estimates, it is evident that sex trafficking statistics are hard to

calculate and often do not match. However, by any statistic, in comparison to other nations, the

U.S. has less victims of sex trafficking than many other regions, with only 10,011 of the 100,409

identified victims in 2017 being in the Western Hemisphere (U.S. Department of State, 2018).

Nevertheless, sex trafficking remains a relevant problem worldwide today.

Sex Trafficking Legislation in the United States

The United States has passed federal legislation aimed at preventing trafficking,

prosecuting traffickers, and protecting victims and survivors. Originally passed in 2000, the

Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) made human trafficking a federal crime with strict

sentencing, and it established the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, which

releases annual reports on human trafficking (Polaris Project).

Since the passage of the TVPA, the Act has been reauthorized in 2003, 2005, 2008, and

2013. In 2003, the Act established a federal, civil right of action for trafficking victims to sue

their traffickers and added human trafficking to the list of crimes that can be prosecuted under

the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute (Polaris Project). It also

added provisions to protect victims and their families from deportation, and a requirement for the
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Attorney General to report to Congress on the progress of the country in preventing human

trafficking (Polaris Project).

In 2005, the Act began grant programs to help state and local law enforcement to combat

trafficking and expanded to combating trafficking internationally through a variety of programs

and funding sources (Polaris Project). In 2008, the reauthorization included provisions to make

prosecution easier, to enhance criminal sanctions, and to require the government to screen visa

applicants such as children who are at a higher risk of trafficking (Polaris Project). In 2013, the

reauthorization was passed as an amendment to the Violence Against Women Act, and both

strengthened collaboration with state and local law enforcement and created an emergency

response to react to areas suspect of trafficking (Polaris Project).

The U.S. monitors human trafficking worldwide through a four tier system, based on

what degree a government meets the requirements set forth by the TVPA (Polaris Project).

Despite a continuing battle against trafficking, the U.S. is a tier one country, which means the

government fully meets the requirements (Polaris Project). There is always more to be done, but

from a legislative perspective it is encouraging to see the continued efforts the U.S. puts towards

fighting this human rights violation.

Journalistic Issues in Covering Human Rights Issues

Selective Perception

Selective perception is defined in one article as, “interpreting received messages in a way

that make their values or stances consistent with those that held in mind” (Liu & Johnson, 2011).

The authors go further as to say that in a democracy where citizens are performing selective
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perception and receiving news from a polarized media market, citizens are more likely to

become polarized on issues (Liu & Johnson, 2011). This in turn leads to the modern day threat of

creating one's own filter bubble, which results in only gathering news from sources that reinforce

one’s opinion and ignoring outlets that offer contradicting stances.

While many human rights issues seem black and white in their morality, there is still a

risk that a consumer face selective perception if they are only reading about an issue from one

outlet. For example, in today’s media market most organizations have some degree of bias, so

reading about an issue from only that organization can result in confirming personal bias. If

someone were convinced sex trafficking is less of a human rights violation and more of a sign of

the immorality of women and read articles in support of this bias, selective perception will

continue to reinforce their bias. Even if someone were to encounter an article with a contrasting

opinion, selective perception would mold this opinion to somehow make it further confirmation

of already ingrained biases. In many cases, selective perception is rooted in belief in certain

stereotypes, many of which, like the aforementioned, apply to sex trafficking.

Stereotypes

Covering sex trafficking can be incredibly difficult due to the stereotypes and stigma

surrounding sex crimes and prostitution. An article by the non-profit Women Like Us

Foundation suggests that the role of the media in covering human trafficking is to write pieces

that take a comprehensive look at common contributing factors to sex trafficking (2017). Some

of the contributing factors identified by the It Has to Stop campaign led by Tennessee include

early-onset child sexual abuse, substance abuse, child runaways, child neglect, poverty, and
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mental illness (It Has to Stop). Recognizing these factors and reporting on their impact in fueling

the sex trafficking crime industry can help to destigmatize a victim’s story.

This is a crime that disproportionately affects women and young girls, as shown by the

aforementioned Polaris Project statistic that 80 percent of victims are women and girls (Polaris

Project, 2017). Because of this it is important to recognize the deeply rooted stereotypes of

inequality associated with women and sexuality. Long viewed as objects and sex symbols,

reporting on women who are victims of sex trafficking crimes requires a digression from

outdated gender roles and from thinking victims are weak or complacent if they do not try to

escape.

The story of sex trafficking survivor Jessa Crisp sheds light on the importance of the

media in overcoming stereotypes to effectively report on the crime. Jessa Crisp was sexually

abused as young as 10 years old and sold into sex trafficking multiple times despite escaping

(Crisp, 2018). She has since become an activist who is sharing her story with the hope of

inspiring other survivors or victims to find the joy in the midst of such great darkness (Crisp,

2018). Crisp wrote a blog specifically addressing her experience with journalists sensationalizing

her story and misrepresenting her through relying on stereotypes of the sadistic nature of sex

trafficking (Crisp, 2018). One important piece of advice Crisp offered to journalists writing

survivors stories is to avoid using stock photos that further portray women as objects and instead

to photograph survivors finding hope in their recovery to showcase the strength of these women

(Crisp, 2018).

By avoiding sensationalizing a sex trafficking survivor’s story through stereotypes and

misrepresentation, journalists are able to create pieces that create hope for the hopeless and give
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a voice to the voiceless. These types of stories also help to overcome the compassion fatigue that

accompanies issues like sex trafficking that seem too insurmountable to tackle.

Compassion Fatigue

Compassion fatigue, simplified, is becoming numb to suffering due to encountering it at

an overwhelming frequency (Carter, 2014). According to ​Psychology Today,​ certain professions

regularly faced with the suffering of others, like doctors, used to be the main group vulnerable to

compassion fatigue. However, due to the increased access to information through new forms of

media, now anyone is susceptible to this fatigue (Carter, 2014). Compassion fatigue actually has

physical symptoms including isolating yourself, physical or mental fatigue, insomnia, increased

nightmares, overeating, and denial (Carter, 2014). To cope with compassion fatigue, Doctor

Carter suggests steps such as educating yourself on an issue and taking positive action (2014).

In journalism, one way to overcome compassion fatigue is through the employment

solutions journalism. According to the ​Solutions Journalism Network,​ reporting on responses to

problems, rather than reiterating the solemnity of an issue, can help to overcome the fatigue

experienced by those who may be numb to an issue (Solutions Journalism Network). The

Solutions Journalism Network​ has a database called “The Hub” that allows readers to search for

pieces of solutions journalism in different areas. In “The Hub,” one story about sex trafficking

from ​Public Radio International​ features a sex trafficking survivor who is learning to code

thanks to an Oakland-based non-profit called AnnieCannons (Nazaryan, 2018). Stories like this

can make vast issues like sex trafficking less overwhelming, allowing people to see hope and

progress. This renewed hope in turn can create a spark that inspires people to overcome fatigue
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and look for any possible way to combat the issue, even knowing they can only play a small role

in the solution.

The Intervention Dilemma

Another difficulty journalists face when covering human tragedy is the intervention

dilemma. There is no rule book for journalists, and many journalists disagree on whether or not it

is okay to cross certain lines from objectivity to subjectivity. The intervention dilemma, in short,

is the question of whether or not there is ever a responsibility for journalists to cross this line and

intervene while on the job (Fitts & Pring, 2014). This dilemma is very present in reporting on sex

trafficking.

One example where a journalist had opportunity to intervene but did not was in the

creation of ​The Price of Sex​, a documentary by Mimi Chakarova. Chakarova spent a decade

undercover in sex trafficking rings across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Western Europe

(Chakarova, 2015). Chakarova was able to create an incredibly vivid and holistic view into the

world of sex trafficking without directly intervening in the lives of the women whose stories she

told. The documentary has been used as an anti-corruption tool by police in Serbia, a training

tool in embassies around the world and U.S. State Department, and has been viewed by millions

(Chakarova, 2015). The impact of her work highlights the ability of a well-done piece of

journalism to promote true change without direct intervention. Since there are not defined rules

for journalism, but maintaining objectivity can help to maintain a level of trust between

journalists and the public.

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However, the ​Global Investigative Journalism Network​ does offer a set of unofficial

guidelines for journalists reporting on sex trafficking including doing no harm, respecting

confidentiality, and being prepared for emergency intervention (McIntosh). By their guidelines,

intervention is only for situations of imminent danger and involves informing a victim of

available resources rather than personally attempting to free her from captivity (McIntosh).

The intervention dilemma is arguably very subjective itself. While some journalists,

organizations, and citizens cannot fathom leaving a victim to suffer, journalists have a different

role than average citizens. This is not to say that they are not held to the same standards of

human decency, but rather to emphasize that they serve the specific role of exposing injustice

and bringing awareness to brokenness in society. This role requires leaving a story the way they

found it, and trusting the public to demand officials play their roles as well.

Activism and Participatory Journalism

A report from ​Nieman Reports​ evaluating the difference between activism and journalism

emphasizes the blurred line between journalism and activism due to access to social media and

other technology (Simon, 2014). Although it has become increasingly difficult to distinguish

journalists from human rights activists, journalists hypothetically are objective sources of

information (Simon, 2014). However, there are many examples of journalists crossing a line and

entering into a more activist role. One example related to sex trafficking is Zana Briski’s

documentary, ​Born Into Brothels​. In the film, Briski crosses the line from passive documentor to

activist when she begins to teach the children photography and eventually works to help enroll

them in school to get them away from their lives in the brothels (Briski, 2004).
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While Briski’s actions were impactful on a micro-level, they did not have the widespread

impact of facilitating systemic change like the objective work of Mimi Chakarova. Although

there is a place for activist journalism, in relation to sex trafficking, exposing mass injustice can

promote more change than intervening in one isolated instance of the crime.

Citizen Journalism

According to ​Encyclopedia Britannica,​ citizen journalism, also sometimes referred to as

participatory journalism, is journalism conducted by non-professionals who disseminate

information through social media, websites, and blogs (Albarado, 2018). While the influx of

universal access to technology has increased the presence of citizen journalism, many remain

skeptical of the accuracy of such work (Albarado, 2018). This hesitance is not without reason.

Citizen journalists are not held to the same journalistic standards as professionals who work for

major publications. Nonetheless, citizen journalists do have a role to play in exposing human

rights violations where journalists may not have access.

Many survivors of sex trafficking who publish their own stories and experiences could be

considered citizen journalists. One example already mentioned is Jessa Crisp. Although not a

trained journalist, Crisp has a platform to publish her story and add her own voice in alongside

journalists like Mimi Chakarova who are trained to publish this type of work.

In the context of sex trafficking, there is not one version of “journalism” that stands out

from the rest as being more effective. While solutions journalism pieces such as the example

from ​Public Radio International​ may be a more textbook definition of reporting, documentaries
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like Chakarova’s and Briski’s, as well as the first hand citizen account of Crisp also have a place

in the media landscape covering sex trafficking.

Evaluating Media Coverage

This section will evaluate the coverage of sex trafficking by four different media

organizations: ​Fox News,​ ​The Washington Post​, ​MSNBC​, and​ Vice Media.​ While it is difficult to

holistically evaluate how an organization covers such an expansive issue, I have chosen an

article from each organization to give an example of their coverage. These articles are not

necessarily representative of the organizations views or bias on the issue, but rather they are a

vehicle for the evaluation of coverage of sex trafficking across the media spectrum. The first

three organizations would be categorized as “mainstream” but with varying levels of political

bias, and ​Vice Media​ is a good example of a new media organization that unsurprisingly has a

different approach to coverage of human rights issues including sex trafficking. Lastly, this

section will discuss a local journalist’s perspective on reporting on sex trafficking, how to deal

with the issues and challenges associated with the topic, and what she sees the role of journalists

is in covering human rights violations like sex trafficking.

Fox News

The ​Fox News​ article selected is called, “Alleged cult leader faces arraignment on sex

trafficking charges” (O’Reilly, 2018). It was chosen because many of the pieces published on the

site about sex trafficking come from outside sources such as the ​Associated Press​. This is a

difficult article because in ways it threatens to feed into selective perception by reporting on the
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beliefs and rituals of a cult that was covering a sex trafficking set-up. The cult discussed referred

to the women as “slaves” who were told they could advance themselves through having sex with

“masters” (O’Reilly, 2018).

Since this is strictly a news piece rather than an opinion piece, the article does not express

any sort of disdain for the humiliation and degradation of these women. However, by

highlighting celebrity women who allegedly followed the cult, the article also risks falling into

stereotyping women as accepting of degrading treatment or complacent with sexual degradation.

Overall, this article does more harm than good in exposing the injustice of sex trafficking

because it focuses more on the practices of a cult, which could influence and encourage potential

new followers, without highlighting the stories of any of the survivors. Not providing a window

into the inside of the cult for a survivor makes this article one-sided and ignores the systematic

contributing factors that led to the creation and success of the cult at the cost of the victims.

In general, other sex trafficking pieces from ​Fox News​ are news focused and often

outsourced. Something interesting of recent articles related to sex trafficking is that multiple

articles actually highlight the sex trafficking and sexual abuse of men. The organization does not

have any recent articles offering a comprehensive look at sex trafficking or the contributing

factors, but there are a couple of articles that use solutions journalism to showcase some of the

programs responding to sex trafficking.

The Washington Post

A recent search of ​The Washington Post​’s coverage of sex trafficking revealed an article

with a sensational title, “Are 68,000 people a day ‘trafficked right in front of our eyes’? Nope.”
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(Kessler, 2018). This title alone is a negative take by the media, although this article is a

fact-checking type of article that discusses the faultiness of a statistic, it is callous in handling a

statistic related to a human rights issue. With casual wording and criticism of an organization’s

efforts to prevent sex trafficking, this article plays into the trap of desensitizing a sensitive

subject. The article even goes so far as to downplay the crime of sex trafficking by stating,

“Women and children trafficked for sexual exploitation — which is what most people think of

when they hear ‘human trafficking’ — are a relatively small part of the overall trafficking

problem” (Kessler, 2018). The article does end by discussing the difficulty in reporting accurate

numbers when it comes to human trafficking, but still the approach to de-bunking this specific

statistic sensationalizes and denigrates the experiences of sex trafficking survivors (Kessler,

2018).

Looking at ​The Washington Post’​ s overall coverage, a lot of the same outsourced articles

appear, but unlike ​Fox News,​ there are not many articles highlighting solutions journalism. Once

again, the overall evaluation of the organization is not particularly positive. In fact, examples of

participatory and citizen journalism mentioned earlier are far more effective and successful than

either of the first two evaluated organizations that succumbed to sensationalism and stereotyping.

MSNBC

To evaluate ​MSNBC​, here is an article that continues the trend of the media failing to

comprehensively cover sex trafficking. This article, “Missouri’s Hawley blames ‘sexual

revolution’ for human trafficking,” shows another example of a media organization

sensationalizing human trafficking (Benen, 2017). The article is more of a political attack than it
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is a piece about human trafficking. This not only plays into stereotypes associated with political

parties and sexual attitudes, but also uses a serious human rights violation as bait to entice

readers into reading an irrelevant article.

Again, similar to ​Fox News,​ this article further validates the earlier assertion that

selective perception and a polarized media result in an increasingly polarized population.

MSNBC​ also has similar news coverage of the issue, but of the organizations evaluated it by far

has the most articles related to sex trafficking that have a political agenda. Most of these articles

do not actually report on sex trafficking, rather they mention it in the title which is

sensationalizing. One positive feature of their coverage is that they have a couple of videos that

give survivors of sex trafficking a platform by telling one survivor’s story and bringing a doctor

in to discuss the psychological impact of sex trafficking, which is an interesting approach to

giving an audience more insight into the issue.

Vice Media

Upon an initial search of the site, ​Vice Media​ definitely has the most comprehensive

coverage of sex trafficking out of the evaluated media organizations. The organization has

articles ranging from solutions journalism pieces about the impact of tattoo removal for sex

trafficked victims to pieces about sex workers who are opposed to sex trafficking legislation

because it impedes their ability to make money. While ​Vice​ does have a political bias, it still

provided the most diverse coverage of the issue through reporting on responses, challenges, and

news.
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One news focused article, “From the Trenches in the Battle Against Sex Trafficking,”

offers the most comprehensive approach to sex trafficking coverage encountered in searching

these four media organizations (Davis, 2014). The article describes the story of a young girl who

was a victim of sex trafficking, weaving in solutions journalism through discussing a new law

and training in place that helped save her from her pimp. The article overcomes stereotypes

through using the survivor’s dialogue to show her perspective of her situation. It also utilizes the

suggestion from the Women Like Us Foundation to discuss contributing factors through the

article’s discussion of runaways, broken homes, abuse, neglect, and poverty. The article even

discusses the psychological side of sex trafficking both from the perspective of the trafficker and

the victim (Davis, 2014).

This article alone shows the strength of ​Vice’​ s coverage. By reporting without a political

agenda, discussing contributing factors, avoiding stereotypes, giving the survivor a platform, and

discussing how sex trafficking is being combated, the article successfully covers an

overwhelming issue while providing a reader hope to prevent compassion fatigue.

A Local Journalist’s Perspective

An email exchange with local ​Fort Worth Star-Telegram​ reporter Nichole Manna

provides valuable insight through her professional experiences covering sex trafficking. One

article of Manna’s that stuck out from the crowd in evaluating local news coverage was an article

from September 12, 2018 titled, “Leader of ‘large-scale’ sex-trafficking ring arrested in Fort

Worth; 15 women rescued” (Manna, 2018). In this article, Manna goes beyond simply reporting

the facts and takes time to explain sex trafficking and some of its contributing factors. Through
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defining the difference between prostitution and sex trafficking, Manna helps to overcome some

of the stigma surrounding sex crime stories for those who may not know there is a distinction.

Manna also adds a statistic about the average age of sex trafficking victims from a study by the

American Academy of Pediatrics, which helps to further educate the reader on the issue. The

addition of these definitions and distinctions, as well as the statistic help to make Manna’s article

more effective and comprehensive.

According to Manna, “In its simplest form, journalists elevate voices.” She believes that

sharing sharing stories can empower victims and help readers to break out of their bubbles,

increasing their awareness of the world around them. Manna has been a crime reporter for almost

seven years, so she is no stranger to reporting on sex trafficking. In order to avoid stigmas and

stereotypes in these pieces, she makes sure to ask as many questions as possible and be very

careful in how she phrases things. “Language matters in every story I write, but it’s especially

important when we are talking about victims of any kind of sex crime,” Manna said. To ensure

she is adequately avoiding stigmas and stereotypes, Manna will ask survivors, law enforcement

officials, advocates, and academic experts if there are certain stigmas or stereotypes she should

try to either avoid referencing or be sure to mention in order to prevent the reader from

misunderstanding a topic.

A powerful anecdote Manna shared was from an interview she conducted with a sex

trafficking survivor who had been trafficked by a family member from age 6 to 10. The victim

did not even know what had happened to her was a crime until she began to see news articles

covering sex trafficking. For Manna, this story shows how powerful information is, which is why

reporting this information is vital.

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In describing the role of journalists on this issue, Manna said, “We are able to put

pressure on law enforcement who are still arresting prostitutes and not johns. We're able to put

pressure on state legislatures to make the trafficking of any human a stricter crime with a greater

penalty. And we do that by sharing stories, asking questions and presenting the facts.”

Conclusion

Although human rights issues are increasingly being addressed, there is still significant

room for improvement to achieve the ideals set by the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of

Human Rights. Articles 3 through 5 are the most applicable to sex trafficking and how it violates

a victim’s fundamental rights. Sex trafficking remains prevalent both in the United States and

abroad, although it is difficult to calculate precisely how many victims of human trafficking

there are worldwide. Despite the inexact nature of calculations, resources such as the National

Human Trafficking Hotline are able to track reports of human trafficking and sex trafficking in

America. Since the ratification of the UDHR, the UN has attempted to enforce the document

through mechanisms such as the ​Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. The

United States has shown a continued effort in combating sex trafficking through federal

legislation that has developed through multiple re-authorization acts. The U.S. also monitors the

progress of other countries in fighting sex trafficking and releases yearly reports.

Due to the large number of victims still enslaved by sex trafficking, journalists are likely

to encounter the issue. In covering human rights issues like sex trafficking, journalists face issues

such as selective perception reinforcing biases, stereotypes influencing their work or their

readers perceptions, the intervention dilemma, and drawing lines between professionalism and
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activism. As seen in the evaluation of sex trafficking coverage by ​Fox News​, ​The Washington

Post​, ​MSNBC​, and​ Vice Media,​ media organizations often do not offer comprehensive coverage

of sex trafficking, instead sensationalizing victim’s stories, politicizing the issue, reverting to

stereotypes, contributing to selective perception, and failing to offer responses and solutions.

While each organization had strengths and weaknesses, ​Vice Media​ was by far the most

comprehensive in their coverage through offering a diversity of perspectives on the issue and

avoiding many of the pitfalls other organizations fell into.

Despite the laudable efforts by ​Vice,​ looking at media organizations coverage of sex

trafficking is rather discouraging. Many articles continue to stigmatize sex workers and sex

crimes, while disregarding the contributing factors to sex trafficking. The exchange with ​Fort

Worth Star-Telegram​ reporter Nichole Manna offers insight into the detail that goes into

effectively covering sex trafficking stories. While Manna works to carefully avoid stigmas and

stereotypes, many articles fail in this area.

In conclusion, there are journalistic pieces worthy of praise for their impact in the fight

against sex trafficking including professional documentary work by Mimi Chakarova,

participatory journalism by Zana Briski, citizen journalism by survivor Jessa Crisp, and local

reporting by professionals like Nichole Manna. However, the mainstream media is falling short

in coverage of this human rights abuse.

Mimi Chakarova is a perfect example of professional quality journalism adding value to

the conversation surrounding sex trafficking. Through overcoming stereotypes and offering a

window into the world of the trafficked, she has created meaningful change. More media
COVERING MODERN DAY SLAVERY 22

organizations and journalists of all varieties should strive to follow her lead, especially in their

coverage of sex trafficking.

“It is our job to connect the dots and to spend time investigating complex and

dangerous issues. It is also our job to offer realistic solutions.”

​— Mimi Chakarova
COVERING MODERN DAY SLAVERY 23

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