The national press is sex obsessed

National press coverage on the front of the new edition of Exeposé

The national press seem to have missed the point. Surely what’s shocking about this story is not what the couple in question did, but that somehow everybody knows about it. I’m not saying that publically engaging in sexual activity of any kind is acceptable, but sometimes people get drunk and do things that they aren’t proud of. In this case, on waking up and realising what they got up to, they probably took comfort in the fact that it was at a private party on university property and they were therefore somewhat protected. At worse there were probably a few students nearby who knew what they were up to and might set the rumour mill running. The fact that one of their fellow students would send actual footage of them viral probably never occurred to them. They may pretend to be shocked at student behaviour, but let’s be honest: the national press is completely sex-obsessed themselves. It appears they don’t see the irony in criticising the SSB for its ‘highly sexual tone’ whilst running articles full of falsely gleaned information and dubiously sourced photographs just so they can focus on sex and encourage the general public to be disparaging. Furthermore, in their decrial of this shocking ‘public act’ they seem to be conveniently uninterested in how it came to be so public, perhaps because discussing the terrifying breach of security and privacy would implement their journalists.

Yes, it was imprudent; but the fact that they managed to avoid getting caught first-hand suggests that this wasn’t a case of exhibitionism. The girl has been accused by commenters of using it as an excuse to be ‘dirty’ and ‘promiscuous’, but the real dirty behaviour was that of whoever decided to record the CCTV footage and let such impulsive misdemeanour mar both their names and that of our university. Perhaps most scary, is that this untrustworthy person must have had access to the CCTV and therefore must be a student working in our Guild. That’s what really leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.

By Jess Newton

 

SSB tape: is it really newsworthy?

THIS student newspaper is the best thing I’ve been involved with at university and I feel privileged to be an editor of it. That’s why when our story about a CCTV leak at a high profile event made it to the local press, the national press, the international press, I was hugely excited. There was a real buzz around the office Tuesday afternoon as the publications we’re aspiring to work for ran our story, one after the other. Then I started to read them. My excitement turned sour pretty quickly as I noticed the “journalistic” emphasis of most of the articles. Allow me to summarise:

“Scantily clad drunken teenagers may or may not have had sex.”

Does that strike you as particularly newsworthy? No? Me neither. Teenagers occasionally have sex. Taking away their clothes and giving them alcohol apparently makes this more like to happen. Who knew! The fact that our star-crossed lovers attempted it in the Ram may not technically be allowed, but is it really newsworthy? The news is that there has been a serious breach of security during one of the biggest nights in its calendar, with gross negligence and misconduct shown from a member of staff. That is newsworthy. That is what Exeposé has focused on from the very first article that we posted online, because that is what matters.

Of course, you can understand why the nationals have taken a particular stance on it. The University of Exeter is a university on the up; a university that has soared up all of the leaderboards in a blisteringly fast time, to the point where it is the latest member of the Russell group and the Sunday Times University of the Year. That’s a big deal, for a lot of reasons. With all this prestige has come the highest rise in applications in the country… and also, apparently, people looking for any excuse to drag our name through the mud. The SSB is a charitable juggernaut that has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for AIDS research and local charities. How many of the sneering commenters that have just learnt it exists can say they’ve done that? How many of the people shouting the ball down have raised awareness of sexual diseases and the importance of safe sex for their wider communities as well as an entire generation of university students? Not one of them.

But I’ll finish by referring to the man that the Daily Mail felt authoritative enough to comment on the issue, lets call him Mr Hyperbole. The SSB apparently reminds Mr Hyperbole of “the decadence that came just before the fall of the Roman Empire”. Well then, Exeter, the barbarians are at the gates, and our decadence is almost at an end. So who else is up for turning up to lectures in their underwear?

By Jon Jenner, Games Editor

 

If parents are worried about sex and alcohol, they shouldn't send their child to University at all

THE leaking of private CCTV footage is a separate issue from the students’ behaviour. It was completely unacceptable for the footage to be leaked across the internet, no matter what its content may have been, and the police are right to investigate this aspect of the event.

Photo: Joshua Irwandi

The public sexual act is condemnable, but I think it is unfair to place too strong an attachment to the event itself. The SSB is a charity event that finds its financial success in edging towards the outrageous and daring. To change this winning formula would be to waste a great fundraising opportunity. If the suggestion is that an event where students are encouraged to wear little clothing will inevitably produce media frenzy then it is a naïve approach to the SSB. Give any students enough alcohol and a party atmosphere and there will be inappropriate behaviour, of a similar nature, regardless of the event or its location. I have been to several nightclubs where the acceptable attire has been little more than a bra and a belt for a skirt. It is ridiculous that the media are trying to connect the drunken act of two individuals to the quality of the University itself. Mentioning Exeter’s status as one of the country’s leading universities shows a desperate attempt to sensationalise the whole event. It is impossible to expect academic excellence and a student party lifestyle to remain completely separate, when university life promotes a merging of the two. This incident should have no bearing on whether parents send their children here.

If parents are worried about sex and alcohol then it is probably best they don’t send their child to university at all.

By Sarah Perkins