To wish women weren’t always presented in relation to a man

[Marvelo]

Heavens, my heart goes out to John Hunt (father of Hannah and Louise and husband of Carol, the women killed in the awful crossbow attack). But why is so much of the coverage focused on him and not the women? It’s completely irrelevant to the crime that he happens to be a commentator.

Just read an article in the Times on this-Hannah Hunt is defined in the headline as “one of the daughters of the BBC racing commentator”, the three women are then called “the family of the BBC horse racing commentator John Hunt”, then one of the women is described as “one of Hunt’s daughters” etc.

I know the media likes a celeb hook but it’s so inappropriate here (especially given the nature of the crime) to define these women primarily in relation to a man. I can’t imagine that John Hunt wants this.

That was my thought too OP - the R4 report I heard shoe-horned in the name of the husband several times before the names of the victims were read out. I agree that now is not the time to make a song and dance about it but it's an interesting side-note. And I've never heard of John Reid - a sports commentator isn't necessarily a household name and it makes the case no more shocking or IN the public interest (as opposed to OF the public interest) that he was.

Reminds me of the musical SIX - all about HERstory rather than HIStory of Henry VIII six wives

These are particularly awful murders, but the fact is if this was "just" a DV incident without the celebrity link, it would be fading from the news already.

I actually find it quite bizarre that there are people who, in the midst of someone's private suffering, are complaining about supposed sexism in the reporting.

It's the most devastating and horrible thing anyone could go through. Mr Hunts wife and 2 daughters have been executed in cold blood, in their own home.
Just get a bloody grip ffs

Who is John Reid?

I think also, you need to remember that many of the people reporting on this case will know him personally.

Because they were hoping for an echo chamber and didn't get it.

It really wouldn't, and he's not a 'celebrity', he's well known in the field of horse racing commentating, which is his job.

I knew from the title of this thread exactly what it would be in relation to. And the thread on the day also turned a little into making this an issue of how sexes are presented

I agree with others, YABU and passive aggressive in pretending you don't know exactly why the well known celebrity male Father/husband is focused in the news

How many DV murders are considered newsworthy?

@BusyCM "I think you're trying to make a feminist point for the sake of it."

She's not-she's making a feminist point because it's a feminist point.

Any TV personality's partner will be referred to in terms of them. Kate Garraway's husband, Kim Kardashian's latest beau, Holly Willoughby's husband etc. This isn't sexism.

It's not a feminist point at all and she knows it, hence the reason she hasn't returned to the thread.

And this? From the awful Mail? The murderer gets named, but the victim is just a dead woman?

Exactly.

And it's despicable to use the tragic deaths of those 3 women to try and prove otherwise.

Shame on the OP and the couple of posters tying themselves in knots to agree, on a few different threads.

Derek Draper is a prime example of how the exact same works the other way round. He was very well known in his own field, yet he was ‘Kate Garraway’s husband’ in all the coverage of his illness and death.

I think there is a genuine issue here about the reporting of women murdered by men they know.

@beguilingeyes The Mail has it's own special place...

I suppose it depends on your point of view. If I'm ever murdered I don't want my name out there as a victim of a murderer. Let any memories of me be as the person I am, the wife, the mother, the grandmother, the person who did a responsible job and helped people. Please don't remember me as a victim. Don't let my murderer be anonymous, name him and let his name be known for the evil person he would surely be.

I know that isn't the current view but if I'm murdered and you name me as a victim be sure I will haunt you.

I completely agree OP.

Perhaps it’s because I had never heard of the husband. Maybe if I had known who he was then it would have made sense, as others have pointed out by with the example of “Taylor Swift’s boyfriend”.

But it is jarring to hear of the murder of 3 women where they are referred to again and again and again by their relationship to a man.

As for daughter of, when Zara Phillips won an Olympic medal she was Princess Anne's daughter even though her father was a well known equestrian but not as well known as her mother.

Because he's a public figure.

I actually read that three women had been killed before he was mentioned. And I hadn't heard of him and didn't make the connection when it was mentioned before the match. In fact I thought they were looking for the dad before I realised someone else was involved.

It's not a competition. By any standards, this is a particularly horrific and gruesome slaughter of 3 women. You may know more about the circumstances than I do?

Yes, three women, murdered by a crossbow was always going to be news, but I don't think it would have stayed in the news once it became clear they knew the suspect.

Of course this man is relevant his wife and daughters have been murdered the family of a well known man is irrelevant but as a husband and father and human being he is relevant! I can't believe you found sexisim or whatever in this horrific crime.