Unaccountability in Action: Victimhood over Values
Trigger warning: this article mentions suicide and child sexual abuse
Reflecting on my article about values, I couldn’t help but notice the apparent lack of self-awareness and personal accountability shown by one man trending in the media.
I don’t often write about what’s in the news, especially not celebrities, but Phillip Schofield is a textbook example of how abusers of power sometimes spin a narrative of victimhood that distracts from their weak values and disempowers real victims.
A senior television presenter, who quit his ITV job when he was investigated for sexual impropriety and dishonesty, Schofield has just been rewarded with a new Channel 5 Cast Away show to tell his version of events on a paid trip to Madagascar.
As the sole protagonist in his own redemption story, completely unchallenged, he decries his alleged mistreatment by the “three s****” i.e. the executives and colleagues he lied to. Indignant and tearful, he says their “utter betrayal” made him never want to present again and brought him close to taking his life.
So, what shocking injustice led Schofield to “the edge” of suicide?
His character was questioned when he was caught trying to cover up an “unwise, but not illegal” affair (as he insists on describing it) with a young junior colleague, whom he’d arranged to get a job in his team on the This Morning show, having met him as a child during a visit to a drama school. The boy was fifteen and he was around 55, but Schofield claims they didn’t develop a sexual relationship until he was twenty. He later paid the man a 6-figure sum in compensation, under a non-disclosure agreement, after he lost his job and home due to the furore Schofield dragged him into.
Schofield wasn’t punished; he wasn’t even sacked, as he falsely insinuated when he revealed his affair to the Daily Mail before even telling his employer; his family stuck by him, in spite of his betrayal. He claims he’s “so very, very sorry”, yet he’s incredibly keen to call out the “fake friends” who he says “chucked [him] under a bus”.
He gripes that if he’d had an affair with a woman, he’d have received a “pat on the back”; before asserting “it’s not an unusual thing in the gay world for there to be a difference in age groups”. This perverse defence tarnishes all gay men with his brush; gay men who are already more likely to be wrongly accused of grooming, than straight men who are more likely to do it. Notwithstanding there has sadly been some homophobic commentary about Schofield, which I absolutely do not condone, coming out of the closet has become his convenient excuse for overstepping the bounds of decency. Furthermore, arguing that homosexual misconduct is OK on the basis heterosexual misconduct goes unpunished is an absurd insult to all victims.
Separately, it seems Schofield lacked the moral courage to report his brother when he confessed to sexually abusing a boy; then promptly disowned him once he was convicted. He also helped a friend avoid a prison sentence for revenge porn, which he downplayed, while publicly highlighting the negative impact of that type of offence. Unsurprisingly, as a presenter, Schofield is adept at spinning a narrative in his favour; he also seems to be rather selective with the truth, which casts doubt on his integrity.
Schofield denies grooming, and hasn’t been charged with a crime, but I think we should still question whether his actions are those of a morally decent person. Given the circumstances, should a television channel be broadcasting his self-serving mea culpa to millions? Victims may be triggered or dissuaded from reporting sexual misconduct, and those who don’t know better might even see him as a role model.
Around 15 people in the UK commit suicide every day: most because they are mentally unwell, financially distressed, experienced trauma or, notably, are victims of abuse. Every day, hundreds of children are groomed by sexual predators. Every day, thousands of employees are subject to sexual misconduct perpetrated by their superiors. These are the victims for whom we should reserve our compassion.
I believe wrongdoers in positions of power, like Schofield, should take accountability for their actions, accept the consequences, seek support in private, and have the humility to spare us their self-pity. There’s no reason to give them a public platform to profess victimhood; nor should we allow them to distract from the plight of true victims, who are usually powerless, while they pursue vindication for personal gain.
If only more media institutions gave the same prominent platform to victims of real injustice and abuse, society might be a little fairer and a lot more honest.
What do you think? Please comment with your thoughts on this or similar cases.