A Colorado TV station has been criticised for covering a story about police making sexist remarks about a woman’s body - by airing an accompanying photo of the woman's breasts.
Local reporter Chase Olivarius-McAllister, who works at The Durango Herald, said that when police returned a call to her about crime statistics, several minutes of a sexist conversation were left on her voicemail, with the men clearly thinking they had hung up.
In the voicemail, an officer is heard asking if Olivarius-McAllister was "hot" or not, with another describing her as having "an OK body" but “giant boobs”.
"F***ing giant, dude," says one. "I mean, not like quadruple Ds or anything. But at least a solid set of Ds, probably double Ds.”
But the ordeal got even worse when KCNC, an affiliate of CBS, used a photo of Olivarius-McAllister that was cropped so her breasts were included in the frame.
She called their coverage “extremely sexist” on Twitter and voiced her outrage at the way she had been made the focus of the story instead of the policemen.
@CBSDenver This coverage is unbelievably sexist. I'm not quoted, period. Yet my picture is splashed on screen? #sexism #relevance?
— Chase Olivarius-McAl (@ChaseOM) September 3, 2015
@CBSDenver What does how I look have to do with anything, at all? Why not show photos of anyone else involved - people you actually quote?
— Chase Olivarius-McAl (@ChaseOM) September 3, 2015
Way to dig for truth @CBSDenver! You name a victim, share her picture but no mention of the offending Deputy's name or his picture?#Garbage
— TomSongs (@RealTomSongs) September 3, 2015
@OnlytoEngage It's just unbelievable - absurd to the point of depressing. As well as being ravingly sexist, this is terrible #journalism.
— Chase Olivarius-McAl (@ChaseOM) September 3, 2015
“It’s just unbelievable - absurd to the point of depressing,” she noted.
Tim Wieland, News Director at the station, said on Twitter that he was “in direct communication” with Olivarious-McAllister in order to deal with her concerns.
He added that part of the reason they didn't use a picture of the policemen in question was because they "didnt have one".
