Thursday, August 21, 2025

When Coverage Is Scarce: Centering Prevention, Intervention, and Treatment

By Aniss Benelmouffok, Director, Public Affairs ATSA

On August 6, the New York Times published investigative journalist Emily Steel’s thorough report on Uber’s reluctance to implement prevention measures to reduce sexual harm. Her reporting revealed that, from 2017 to 2022, Uber received more than 400,000 reports of sexual assault or sexual misconduct—an average of one every eight minutes—yet publicly disclosed only 12,522. According to sealed court records, the company had identified clear prevention measures but set them aside "as it prioritized growing its user base, avoiding costly lawsuits and protecting its business model."

As advocates and professionals working to expand and improve treatment for individuals at risk of, or who have caused, sexual harm, we’ve watched prevention and intervention opportunities fade from public discourse. Ordinarily, the Uber investigation would lead front pages and dominate social feeds, prompting questions about how to prevent sexual harm. Instead, within 24 hours, it was buried in the business section and pushed to the bottom of news aggregators as coverage of President Trump eclipsed it.

President Trump has a gravitational pull on the news cycle. He is undeniably a "newsmaker"—a status he wields with outsized impact. As media analyst Kara Swisher describes, he creates “snackable moments”: brief bursts of controversy that capture attention completely, then disappear as the next moment arrives. 

Steel’s investigation documented corporate awareness and acknowledgment of preventable sexual assaults. Internal Uber safety studies identified specific measures that could have protected passengers, but executives repeatedly chose market expansion over safety implementation.

Yet despite the explosive nature of these findings, media coverage has been limited. In today’s attention economy, scarcity isn’t accidental—it’s by design. Algorithms and ad-driven incentives reward novelty and outrage. Research from Harvard’s Shorenstein Center found that during Trump’s first presidency he received 41% of all news coverage, compared with roughly 13% for previous presidents—a threefold increase that crowds out other stories. More critically, the Pew Research Center found that 74% of Trump coverage focused on character and controversies rather than policy substance, leaving only narrow windows for complex prevention initiatives to receive attention.

Nonprofits and advocates have long used grassroots campaigns and coalition building to meet the moment. Yet, when moments are scarce, new strategies must emerge. Advocates can adapt by building direct relationships with communities affected by sexual harm. Rather than competing for mainstream attention, we can develop our own channels—through community partnerships, digital storytelling, and targeted campaigns that reach decision‑makers directly.

As nonprofits and advocates, our capacity is finite, and we must invest it intentionally. Breaking through the noise is increasingly difficult. Our aim should be to develop sustainable pathways for prevention, intervention, and treatment—rather than chasing the moment.

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