Why Rose McGowan Wants the Media to Stop Using ‘Alleged’

In a new upcoming video by New York Magazine, Rose McGowan moderates a round table of women who have recently accused powerful men of sexual misconduct. In it, McGowan takes issue with one of the most common words in coverage of these scandals — “alleged.”

“It’s the first time in history women are being believed, even though we get slagged,” McGowan said in a preview of the video, which aired Wednesday on Today.

Other panelists agreed that the qualifier “alleged” should be removed from the media parlance. McGowan framed her distaste for the word as a “challenge” to “the media.”

Media outlets use “alleged” to indicate that a person has not been found guilty of the charge in a court of law.

In many ways, McGowan led the charge in recent months as women told their stories of sexual misconduct in Hollywood and other industries. McGowan accused producer Harvey Weinstein of rape back in October, leading to an avalanche of other testimonies against the film mogul.

When another woman on the New York Magazine panel asked McGowan if she believes they’re affecting true change, the 44-year-old actress gave a strong “yes.”

Joining McGowan in the video are other Weinstein accusers, as well as women who toppled Louis C.K. for years of harassment.

In the excerpt, Dominique Hewitt explained that McGowan and other women helped her come to terms with her own experiences at the hands of Harvey Weinstein. “I had a tremendous amount of self-blame until those women came forward and were published,” she said. “Then I kind of felt like wow, things are shifting. I can share this experience.”

Now, McGowan is trying to keep the momentum going by outting the people who allowed harassment go go on for years without intervening.

“My beef is really with all the people who are complicit,” she said.

McGowan has gone after Academy Award-Winning actress Meryl Streep in recent weeks, claiming that the Hollywood icon was fully aware of Weinstein’s predatory behavior and did nothing to stop him. Streep denies these claims.