Bloggers Specials this week

Yes, what BoF said, absolutely.

Question for MNHQ - if you don't select the blogs, who is on the bloggers team?

Quite. I would have thought that one of Mumsnet's unique strengths was the support its posters offer to help victims of rape, and even more often, encouraging women in abusive relationships to leave. The world has been turned on its head by holding this blog up as something to "enjoy".

I don't see how it helps the blogger, and it certainly doesn't help other posters affected by these issues. Frankly, I think promoting this blog is nothing short of disgraceful.

I've been out so hadn't read the response from MNHQ properly and didn't want to post in a rush.

I find MNHQ's response at odds with their usual sensible stance and I don't think it's a very satisfactory response for all the reasons given. The very first post and the most recent ones make reference to believing a convicted rapist is not guilty. It is clearly mentioned in the blog

By promoting it on the blogger's network and via the parenting emails MNHQ is showing a lack of judgement. I also don't think it is compliant with MN's ethos or objectives as published on About Us pages.

I would not be surprised if MNHQ came back and revised their stance and said they got it wrong. I would be very disappointed if they did not.

Well said BOF.

I felt very sorry for this woman, and it is clear from her blog that she has suffered a great deal.

But I refuse to accept I should find her 'inspirational'. I hope and trust that was not her intention, and I know it wasn't her word.

Awful, awful way to characterize it.

What LeBOF said. had the focus not been on the fact that the blogger believe's her husband is innocent, it may have been received differently. but throw in the crime, the protest of innocence and you have just offended a lot of women, especially survivors of rape.

When I've seen documentaries about life in prison when prisoners and or their partners have been interviewed, the prisoners crime is often not mentioned. I suspose this is so that the focus can be on what it is like to be a prisoner/family of prisoner. I think the experiences of prisoners' partners and children is a story that needs to be told but by mentioning the crime and the mans 'susposed innocence' attention is diverted and it becomes controversial.

The more I read about this, the more crushingly insensitive I feel Mumsnet have been: "This blogger's husband is serving time for a crime she believes he didn't commit. Find out more about the justice system and lone parenting from an inspirational mum.
Enjoy more blogs on our Bloggers Network"

The belief in the rapist's innocence is foregrounded. He was jailed after DNA evidence harvested years later after a domestic violence attack on the blogger. In one fell swoop, we are asked to find inspiring a woman who stands by her man, despite his abuse of her and other women, and somehow see this as an insight into the criminal justice system (which, let's face it, isn't exactly proficient at convicting rapists).

I find this extremely offensive.

I have every sympathy for the blogger and her situation, but I do not believe this should be held up as an example of anything inspiring whatsoever. Not one tiny bit.

Shameful.

I hope the woman who was raped isn't on mumsnet. And that it hasn't been too triggering to the many women who post here who have been raped.

I think it is going to be a constant problem for MN when selecting blogs that they can only select from the limited range of blogs they have available, and what have they available might not be appropriate to inform MN posters about.

I don't think it is really a matter of simply the words used to promote it; it is the content of the blog itself. The rape is mentioned in so far as she believes her husband is innocent. The lives of prisoners' families is important, and there will be lots of stuff on that on the internet which doesn't involve saying a particular victim isn't really a victim. MN doesn't have those more appropriate stories of prisoners' families available in blogs, so they should simply have decided not to promote an inappropriate one.

I can't see how people will have greater sympathy for the predicament of prisoners' families if their predicament in their own story is highlighted by making out the victim either isn't a victim or has made accusations against the wrong person. As others have said, I think the blogger has every right to blog, but I don't see how MN can justify promoting that blog, regardless of the language they use to promote it.

x-posted. Obviously

You're welcome

Thanks Helen & thanks to MNHQ & the blog people too

Thanks Isla, your totally right. I am upset but what you've posted is true, I'm having trouble being objective

Thank you for being so kind

thunder no, def didn't ask to be included.

It's all very unfortunate, I agree.

Jently I think the majority of posts have been very fair. As I and other posters have pointed out we completely support your right to post and post whatever you like, even if we don't agree with parts of the content. What we don't agree with is the promotion by MN of your blog.

I feel you are not looking at this objectively (understandably - completely understandably) and are being upset by this. Nobody is angry with you for having a blog, we are dismayed MN would choose to promote it because of the rape issue.

I hope you can see the point I'm trying to make. I have a lot of sympathy for your situation and I feel for you.

Ooh. I got the email but haven't yet read the blog. Someone seems to have had an error of judgement.

Amor, I hope you're ok :(

Well I don't think you have asked for this Jently, unless you specifically asked Mumsnet to feature your blog in their newsletter. Otherwise I assume that your blog would have a limited audience, and wouldn't be seen by people who might find it upsetting or hurtful.

Unfortunate all round is what I would say.

I agree that MN is at fault here for showing extremely poor judgement in endorsing the blog and giving it extra publicity by making it blog of the week. I can't for the life of me work out why they made that decision.

AmorYCohetes, I'm so sorry to hear of your awful experience and I hope you're OK

Thank you thunder I suppose I've asked for this, should have seen it coming.... This is the first negativity I've seen & it's knocked me for 6.

Handmaiden

Yes it does. Thanks for that.

I too have had a lot of support here for the situation I find myself in, MN is generally a top place.

I'm sorry you don't agree with my blog or seem to have any sympathy for what me and my children are living through.

I'm walking away from this now & hope MNHQ are along soon.