Read on Twitter
Thread: I saw a post that the media ignores human trafficking. Here is a lot of the coverage I and other Forum reporters have done.
First up is a 7-day series FNS did five years ago. It brought a lot of awareness to trafficking in the Bakken. https://www.inforum.com/news/4623231-Trafficked">https://www.inforum.com/news/4623...
First up is a 7-day series FNS did five years ago. It brought a lot of awareness to trafficking in the Bakken. https://www.inforum.com/news/4623231-Trafficked">https://www.inforum.com/news/4623...
Former U.S. Sen. @HeidiHeitkamp spearheaded a number of federal bills aimed at fighting human trafficking, including one that ended backpage, a site notorious for hosting trafficking ads. https://www.inforum.com/news/4386770-bill-aimed-websites-facilitate-sex-trafficking-has-enough-votes-pass">https://www.inforum.com/news/4386...
There also were a number of bills in ND, including ones to fight trafficking and violence against Native American women. https://www.inforum.com/news/government-and-politics/996517-Bills-to-curb-violence-against-indigenous-people-human-trafficking-sent-to-North-Dakota-governor">https://www.inforum.com/news/gove...
Not to mention more than $800,000 in funding by the state Legislature https://www.inforum.com/news/4253598-825k-approved-nd-human-trafficking-victims">https://www.inforum.com/news/4253...
My article on the hidden numbers. It’s hard to track human trafficking anywhere since most victims are conditioned to obey their pimps like slaves. They fear being beaten or killed if they speak out, but they also are convinced the pimps are all they have. https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/4321853-hidden-numbers-accurate-picture-human-trafficking-difficult-agencies-strive-recognize">https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/4321...
There are other outlets covering this issue, and The Forum continues to do so. If you search human trafficking, you’ll get recent hits for stings and raids. It definitely deserves a spotlight. But by no means is the media ignoring it. https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/08/10/americas/mexico-human-trafficking-intl/index.html">https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp...
In fact, we probably wouldn’t have heard about Jeffrey Epstein’s trafficking ring were it not for the Miami Herald and the victims coming forward. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2019/07/09/business/media/miami-herald-epstein.amp.html">https://www.google.com/amp/s/www...
And here is the story into how Epstein received the deal, and how a victim broke her silence. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article220097825.html">https://www.miamiherald.com/news/loca...
It’s great that human trafficking is getting the spotlight again. But saying the media is ignoring it is false. Many people until recently thought human trafficking victims were prostitutes, until the media and anti-trafficking advocates brought attention to the problem.
I get it. We all have lives to live, and we sometimes miss those stories. There is a long way to go in fighting trafficking, but we are getting there.
