Kevin Clash, the puppeteer of Elmo, had been accused of a sexual relationship with a minor. His accuser, who is currently nameless, recanted the story. I have some questions.

Why did the media report this to begin with? We live in a society where people are supposed to be considered innocent until proven guilty. This doesn’t mean that we doubt accusers. The majority of accusers of sexual crimes are telling the truth. The real victims should not be treated poorly because some people lie about being a victim. That would just perpetuate the rape culture. What it means is that the media should allow the wheels of justice to do what they need to do before reporting stories involving accusations of sexual crimes.

Why does the accuser get to go free? The harm of a false accusation, even one that doesn’t go to trial, is very harmful. Believe me, I know. My false accuser gets to live her life even though her lie could have very well caused me to have a ruined life. It still haunts me to this day. I can only imagine what Mr. Clash is going through. He should be able to get justice.

Good people suffer because of false accusations. The media should not be allowed to spread names of those who are accused until a conviction is reached.