Has the scandal taught the nation a lesson?

Both television and newspaper mediums have played a major role in the public backlash against Johns and the push for women to be respected throughout society. Competition for ratings and money between rival networks and newspapers has influenced content as they have tried to use every lead or bit of information to form a new story on the scandal. It was supposed to educate the nation about the need to respect women. But nearly a month on from when the original interview took place, has it really taught Australia a cultural lesson? No. The media has dropped the issue and moved on. It's a shame the people they exploited can't do the same. As Jamie Pandaram exposed, it will take time and effort to eliminate the group sex culture from within rugby league. A character assassination of a high-profile personality in Johns was clearly not the answer to solving the problem. But then, the media already knew that.