Florida State University vs. Erica Kinsman; A Tale of Two Stories

For a story that involves tragedy, trauma and America’s favorite pastime, the media is eerily quiet when it comes to the gruesome details of the Kinsman Rape Case. In 2012, Erica Kinsman, a Florida State University student, was allegedly drugged, raped, and dropped off on an isolated street corner by FSU star quarterback Jameis Winston; Kinsman reports her attack to FSU, everything is apparently swept under the rug, and Winston plays his way to Heisman glory while Kinsman is forced to transfer schools due to death threats and ridicule.

Although Kinsman eventually files a lawsuit against Winston, the case drags on for months and is settled before it can go to trial. Winston continues to shine with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while Kinsman quietly works toward her degree at another university- the weight and scorn of the case still on her shoulders.

You would think that a story involving such a prestigious university and one of the top collegiate football programs in the nation would occupy more than a small, scrolling line on a few late-night news stations or an obscure blog on the internet. Unlike the fanfare and media frenzy that surrounds professional football players- Ray Rice, Greg Hardy, Justin Cox- stories involving college-level football players are often kept behind closed doors; to protect the school’s image, it’s imminent championships, it’s celebrity status, or all of the above. For the few commentators that write objectively on these cases, it always comes down to picking a side; either for the victim, or against the victim.

However, two commentaries on the Kinsman case take a different approach than the “victim versus the institution” model. The first is a piece by Joe Reedy for the Washington Post, titled FSU settles lawsuit with woman who accused Winston of rape, where he breaks down the facts of the case, the figures involved in the settlement and clauses filed under Title IX. A second piece, by Diana Moskovitz for Deadspin, is titled FSU Settles With Former Student Who Said Jameis Winston Raped Her and explains the details of the case, the terms of the settlement and offers a few opinions on the way FSU handled themselves over the course of this story.

It is clear after reading both articles that the authors have done their homework. Their information is identical, taken directly from the source of court papers and interviews with the lawyers involved in the case. Hyperlinks are also dispersed throughout both pieces, offering further background and insight on the case. Both Moskovitz and Reedy focus primarily on the settlement, choosing to omit any narratives directly involving Kinsman or Winston. However, what sets the two pieces a apart is Moskovitz’s ability to fill the holes of the missing narrative with her personal commentary, and Reedy’s lack thereof.

Though both commentaries detailed the case facts, Moskovitz had a distinct, assertive voice throughout while Reedy sounded more like a stale court reporter. Whereas Moskovitz’s style included presenting a fact, questioning said fact then adding her own snarky comments with perfectly placed quotation marks, Reedy presented the facts and nothing else. As one of the regular commentators for the sports section of the Washington Post, it was disappointing to see how much Reedy’s piece lacked his own voice. Although the Kinsman case is a grim topic, Reedy missed an opportunity to offer opinions that could have taken the piece from sub-par to fantastic.

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