An Open Letter to the Media

In the past few weeks, sex workers have been in the spotlight of media attention. We at SWOP Brooklyn alone have fielded dozens of hours of media requests and have been interviewed by many reporters and journalists about our crowdfunding campaign and about how sex workers are impacted by COVID-19. We are so excited to see the world opening up to hear our stories, but unfortunately the way we and our stories are being handled by the media is lacking, and that at this time journalists are contravening their own code of ethics. The journalist code of ethics states that journalists should minimize harm, show compassion, and avoid pandering to lurid curiosity:

sex workers should be in charge of their own stories

First and foremost, we believe that sex workers should be in charge of their own stories, and should be able to tell their own stories. We know that you are working for publications that want good writing - and you’re in luck! There are so many amazing sex workers who are also amazing writers. Please see the list at the end of this letter.

sex workers deserved to be compensated for their labor

The most ethical way to report on sex work is to hire a sex worker who is also a writer or a journalist. If you are not a sex worker, please consider not accepting the assignment, but subcontracting it out to someone else.

Secondly, we believe that sex workers deserved to be compensated for their labor. We represent the most marginalized identities in society, and already live on the fringes or in precarious financial situations. If you have accepted the piece, consider hiring a sex worker as a consultant or a co-writer. And it is not impossible to offer people small stipends in exchange for their labor as interviewees!

Fact check

If you have interviewed sex workers, send the piece back to them for fact checking. We are often misquoted, which is incredibly frustrating when we are volunteering our time to speak to you, and doing often intense emotional labor during the process.

Do your research!

A lot of information on sex workers and the sex industry is readily available online. It’s offensive when you come into an interview clearly knowing nothing about the issues we are facing or the current state of our work/industry. A quick google search will often answer a lot of your questions, and then you can focus your energy on asking us more nuanced questions (which often doesn’t happen).

Don’t put our safety at risk.

Do not mention blacklists, review sites, or other advertising platforms by name in your piece. If you’re not sure if these sites are still active/okay to talk about - GOOGLE IT! But always err on the side of extreme caution, and best practice is to never name names. You’re not only putting our safety at risk, but you’re risking the safety and longevity of these sites as well. Not everything needs exposure! The code of ethics states that you should balance the public’s need to know things with its ability to put others in danger. The general public does not need to know the names of sites we were under or rely on.

Always use the name, pronouns, and other representation someone specifies for themselves.

Never assume gender, desired name, or if a sex worker wants you putting any of their work information or personal information on your piece. Again, Exposure is not always welcomed or safe for our community!

Every sex worker has a different story.

Sex work is not a monolith. No two people will have the exact same experience or issues as another. When you are writing, do not generalize as if all sex workers are sharing the same experience. Specify what segment of sex work you are talking about, and what type of sex workers you are talking to. Also, do not victimize us. Most articles about sex workers, even the well meaning, turn into nothing more than poverty porn. When civilians talk about us, they often use the same language to talk about us as the police. We are either victims, or we are bad guys. Most journalistic articles don’t make space for the complexity and dynamism of why people enter sex, stay in sex work, or navigate their lives as sex workers.

Seeking out the “most marginalized” workers can be problematic.

Some journalists have reached out to us asking to get connected to the “most marginalized” sex workers, i.e., black women and trans women of color who work on the streets. We understand that you’re trying to lift up the voices of those who are the least heard, however, this often becomes nothing more than fetishization as you seek for the most “sensational” story to tell. Trying to gain access to some communities without a guide is an act of violence. If you would like to tell this story, you need to prove yourself a trustworthy ally. Also, you need to compensate the people whose lived experiences you are trying to profit off of!

Good photos matter!

Don’t sensationalize sex worker’s stories with blatantly fetishistic or dehumanizing language and imagery! There are many artists, photographers, and graphic designers who have lived experience in the sex trades who would likely love to contribute their images to your stories as you represent us

These guidelines are not meant to limit you as journalists and reporters, but rather, they are designed to help you get the most accurate and compelling truth. We are here to be partners and help educate both you and the general public on how we should be treated and talked about. Because sex work is criminalized in the United States, many journalists haven’t been able to familiarize themselves with it as an industry. You and your publications are both missing out on a wide range of important stories that don’t get told when we fall into old patterns of writing about sex work and sex workers.

In Solidarity Always,
SWOP Brooklyn
Eurydice Aroney Senior Lecturer in Journalism University of Technology, Sydney
Molly Simmons