Editorial: The Oregonian’s biased reporting of the sexual misconduct allegations at CGS

by Annika Holliday ‘20

Photo of the front page of the Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020 Oregonian.

“Where do you go to school?”

“Catlin Gabel.”

“Catlin Gabel?! Really? What’s going on up there? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Why are you freaking out?”

“Well, the headlines…”

These are the types of conversations many Catlin Gabel School (CGS) students have encountered with people outside of the school community since the Oregonian’s reporting of the findings of the sexual misconduct investigation.

A 2016 study by computer scientists at Columbia University and the French National Institute found that 59% of links shared on social media have never actually been clicked.

According to study co-author Arnaud Legout, “People are more willing to share an article than read it…[They] form an opinion based on a summary, or a summary of summaries, without making the effort to go deeper.”

Taking the Dialogue for Democracy (D4D) English elective and writing for CatlinSpeak this year has made me realize that journalists make deliberate choices in writing headlines, representing one or multiple sides in reporting, selecting which voices will be heard, and deciding which quotes to include. The sexual misconduct articles about CGS in the Oregonian opened my eyes to different journalistic standards than the ones that my D4D teachers are trying to impart on my class. 

I want to make it clear that I do not want to take anything away from the victims by criticizing the Oregonian’s sensationalist reporting. I truly respect the courage of the survivors to speak up about their experiences. Their anger is completely justified. The adults who were responsible should be held accountable. CGS, like every school, needs to continue to strengthen its background checks, reporting practices, and sexual assault training so that this predatory behavior can never happen again.

However, the Oregonian has responded to Catlin Gabel’s self-report on past sexual misconduct with sensationalist headlines such as “Catlin’s dirty secret” and “Will Catlin survive its massive sexual abuse scandal?” It has labeled the school “posh” and “exclusive,” portrayed it as a place where everyone is rich or famous (or both), blurred big distinctions between allegations, and used the filing of the first lawsuit to wildly speculate that there will be hundreds more, possibly even forcing the school to close. 

The Oregonian articles include opinion and unsupported claims.

“The litigation is almost certainly going to be expensive for Catlin,” wrote Oregonian journalist Jeff Manning in “Catlin Gabel scandal grows” on Feb. 4, 2020. 

In one of its first major stories on CGS’ sexual misconduct report, the Oregonian quoted only one CGS alum, Jordan Schnitzer, one of Portland’s wealthiest people. In my D4D class, we would be criticized for selective bias where only one perspective is included. 

Some claims are simply untrue. The Oregonian produced a Beat Check podcast billed in part as a discussion of how the paper got the scoop of sexual misconduct at CGS. In fact, the school delivered the summary of findings to Manning on Dec. 11, 2019 - the same day the report was sent to all alumni, parents, faculty and staff and posted on the CGS website. 

After discovering a post by a CGS alumna on social media (that initially did not even mention CGS by name), the board of trustees chose to actively investigate the allegation. It hired a special investigator who was given broad license to investigate sexual misconduct by any employee at any time at CGS. Based on established criteria, CGS even chose to name the perpetrators.

The Oregonian’s reporting makes it sound like there is still a sexual misconduct problem on campus. 

“Catlin has apologized repeatedly and claims it is now taking proactive steps to protect its students,” wrote Manning.

Manning’s choice of words, “Catlin...claims it is now taking proactive steps,” implies that the school may not be telling the truth, that it did not have any sexual misconduct policies in place prior to the release of the report, and that students were not protected until the allegations forced the school to implement policies and training. 

In fact, Catlin Gabel policies around sexual misconduct and professional boundaries with students have been in place for years. 

The school has been following mandatory reporting rules since they came into law in the State in 1971. Every year, all employees of the school receive explicit training about adult-student boundaries, a practice that has been effect for more than a decade. The Safe Schools tip line was instituted at CGS in the spring of 2019 and instituted broadly for all constituents in fall of 2020, before the summary of findings was completed. 

I do not recognize the Catlin Gabel that is being portrayed in the media. The Oregonian implies that sexual misconduct that occured thirty or forty years ago means there is something wrong with the culture of the school today. 

CGS’ strength has been portrayed as a weakness. The close relationships I have with teachers is what I most appreciate about my education. 

I have been a Catlin Gabel student since preschool and have unequivocally felt protected in the care of supportive teachers who are passionate about educating students and teaching us to care deeply about the issues of our time, including justice for victims of past sexual misconduct. I was shocked and saddened to learn that sexual misconduct occurred at Catlin Gabel, a place I consider my second home. 

As a society, we are struggling with the reckoning of decades of sexual misconduct not only at private, public, boarding and parochial schools across the country, but also within the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts of America. 

What lesson will other schools take from the sensationalist news coverage of CGS’ decision to look into its past, discover the truth, and choose to be open and accountable about what happened? They may not have the courage now to investigate past sexual abuse, allow victims to speak, and openly address wrongdoing. With its biased reporting, the Oregonian may be complicit in silencing victims and suppressing the truth at other institutions.