Telegraph headline Couzens 'cavorted with prostitutes'

[Realista]

The Telegraph website's Friday evening UK news briefing has this headline: "Former police officer who murdered Sarah Everard cavorted with prostitutes

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/07/09/friday-evening-uk-news-briefing-todays-top-headlines-telegraph/

The article goes on to state that "Couzens admitted regularly cavorting with prostitutes", with the last three words hyperlinked to an article from earlier today about this. Cavorting?

The article linked to refers to him using prostitutes, the word 'cavorting' isn't there. So I'm not quite sure why it's used both in the headline and the body for this news briefing.

This is a murderer and rapist, whose previous "lesser" sexual crimes have now been exposed, showing that he should have been fired from The Met ages ago. And The Telegraph thinks it's appropriate to use a word like cavorting, as if he was having a giggle with them rather than (ab)using or paying them.

I know it's a word often used to describe being with prostitutes, but I find it being used here minimising and misogynistic.

So much of the reporting has been utterly vile and this just exemplifies that. Crimes against women aren’t taken seriously and aren’t reported in the press the way they should be. Just another example of the bloody patriarchy in action.

I really stopped in my tracks and questioned why so much of that Telegraph article and coverage generally was devoted to people telling how lovely they found him, what a nice family man he was.

Frequently paid for sex would be a better expression.

I just despair.

The telegraph has been a gutter tabloid for years.

Constantly. How much women are hated. It’s so blatant and so normalised.

Like a fucking Carry On film.

I think the papers live to sell sleaze, as sadly they know it sells. I never buy newspapers as they are all awful. The paper should have been reporting on what a loss Sarah is and how a life full of potential was so cruelly and suddenly snatched away. Ive got zero interest in that person's sleazy, horrible life. However, I do feel sorry for his wife and children, they are a prime example of the innocent suffering with the guilty. I do believe his wife knew nothing, he was devious and obviously managed a good facade. You never really know anybody. I grieve for Sarah and all the other women who suffer at the hands of men. The whole judicial system needs a serious looking at in all countries of the UK. Scotland's justice system is a joke, the sentences are ridiculous.

"Cavorting" conjures up quite a different image of how it would have been, doesn't it. Like everyone was enjoying a jolly good romp, instead of a disadvantaged woman letting this vile man use her body like a litter-bin for his sperm.

Just emailed [email protected]. He's the editor so it's his responsibility

Repsonse within 15 mins

Steven

I agree with you. As soon as I saw the word ‘cavort’ yesterday evening, I asked for it to be changed. It’s not appropriate.

Its a shame he didn't get it removed from the news briefing linked in the OP. It has been removed from the actual news story though.

Oh thank you @StevenYerTeasReady !

The News Briefing is sent as a WhatsApp message to people who subscribe to that service (including me), a summary of the news stories. So the ‘cavorting’ was in that. Which meant it turned up in my messages. That’s worse than if it was just on the website. I’ll be emailing in too.

That word really struck me as a jarring note in the reporting. So much so that I mused over it a while and then wondered if what they'd actually meant was 'consorting'

consort
verb
gerund or present participle: consorting
/kənˈsɔːt/
habitually associate with (someone), typically with the disapproval of others.

....because 'cavort' is wildly inappropriate. Ignorant copy editor in my view

Bleugh. Journalism and media ownership haven’t yet grasped equality matters, have they?