ITHACA, NY – A journalist who is actively placing a more objective spotlight on the Cornell 7 case has been enduring harassment and threats since embarking upon the effort, with one incident in Ithaca, New York, earlier in October which saw him surrounded and battered by a hostile mob while police adorning pink badges appeared to side with the aggressors.
The allegations surrounding the Cornell 7 are, at this stage of the investigation, two things: disturbing and unproven. But cases that involve allegations of sexual assault are often treated differently in the realm of public opinion, particularly in the wake of the #MeToo movement that became global nearly a decade earlier.
So, to be a perceived contrarian in this climate and have the audacity to question the validity of sexual assault claims that have garnered national headlines in recent weeks, few would be surprised to see said individuals on the receiving end of blowback and criticism.
But Michael Tracey isn’t a contrarian, he’s a journalist going about covering a story the right way. And he’s not just on the receiving end of criticism for digging into the Cornell 7 case, he’s been dealing with threats and harassment against himself and his family.
Since the Cornell 7 case broke into the national spotlight, Tracey was open about his skepticism of the allegations while also being critical of the mob who’ve breezed past the concept of due process for the accused and have branded the seven – and seemingly anyone within earshot of the radioactive group chat detailed in the case – as “rapists.”
Some of the issues elevated by Tracey in his work regarding the Cornell 7 case relate to the contradictions in a prior police report in comparison to the allegations outlined in the civil complaint, as well as the questionable cases attorney Thomas Giuffra has been tied to prior to taking on “Jane Doe” as a client.
But perhaps the biggest proverbial offense that ignited internet and real-life mobs against Tracey was his open-air questioning of why the accused in the Cornell 7 case were afforded zero anonymity yet the person whose allegations have arguably already upended many of their lives could do so while veiled.
From his outlook on the matter, it was an unlevel playing field, so he worked on finding out the identity of the “Jane Doe” and accomplished the effort.
For those still carrying the proverbial torches of #MeToo and #BelieveAllWomen, Tracey basically made himself public enemy number one in their books, and what played out in Ithaca on October 13 during a rally in support of “Jane Doe” served as a demonstration of the hostility Tracey’s work has attracted.
From bullies attempting to intimidate him with their sheer size, some holding banner-sized photos of Tracey in the crowd that showcased his personal information, to innumerable angry feminists ganging up on Tracey and at times assaulting him while others screamed that he is a “rapist,” and all the while, police appeared to let it all go unchecked and suggested that Tracey is the problem and should leave.
One aspect that stuck out amongst the officers present during the “Jane Doe” support rally was the prevalence of pink badges worn by the Ithaca Police officers. Granted, the pink badges are an optional attire modification for Ithaca officers during the month of October in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
However, Ithaca officers do have to dole out $50 in a donation to the cause to sport the pink badge, and it wouldn’t be farfetched to think there’s a heavy overlapping Venn diagram between the #BelieveAllWomen crowd and donating to breast cancer awareness.
Outside of Tracey being targeted physically during his attendance at rallies, he’s been relentlessly targeted online with threats against his life and those wishing that he be raped. All for the crime of objective reporting.
These threats have exploded beyond Tracey, as his parents and siblings have been getting targeted with doxxing efforts and various threats. The online activism mobilized by the modern day #MeToo proponents have even been harassing the family who purchased his childhood home.
Yet the Cornell 7 case, which Tracey has highlighted in his reporting, bears a lot of resemblance, and also pitfalls, seen over the past two decades with other high-profile sexual assault allegations. Two notable cases that come to mind are Columbia University’s “Mattress Girl” and Duke University’s lacrosse team.
Emma Sulkowicz, also known as “Mattress Girl,” falsely accused a male student at her university of sexually assaulting her in 2013. The accused was later cleared by the university and a subsequent police investigation conducted by the NYPD. Yet in 2014, Sulkowicz proceeded to do what she claimed was a “performance art” thesis of carrying a mattress around campus to highlight her allegations of sexual assault.
After the accused student became a pariah at Columbia University and effectively on the national stage, he brought forth a lawsuit against the university in 2015 for allowing this harassment-coded “thesis” to play out. The school eventually settled with the student for an undisclosed amount.
The Duke lacrosse debacle from 2006 was also another instance of false rape allegations gaining national attention and the public and media condemning the accused before any evidence could be meaningfully examined. While the lacrosse players were ultimately exonerated and the woman behind the allegations even admitted, granted nearly 20 years later, that she made the whole thing up, the three accused men still endured years of being labeled as “rapists.”
But what’s interesting to note regarding the Duke lacrosse story and Tracey’s current debacle surrounding his ongoing reporting of the Cornell 7 investigation is there was also a then-dubbed contrarian back in 2006 who was open about his skepticism regarding the then-developing Duke case.
Back in 2006, a young Duke University student by the name of Stephen Miller went on national television to dare to openly ask the question of what if the three men accused of rape were innocent.
Tracey’s work on the Cornell 7 case is obviously an ongoing magnet for hostility but perhaps like in previous cases with similar allegations where activists and the media treated the claims as an unquestionable truth, time might prove that Tracey was on the right track to ask these questions.
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