The ‘mistress’: Jessica Bennett on the persistence of a demeaning word

Do you remember the sex scandal a few years ago about the counterterrorism expert and her lover? No? How about the affair between the decorated general and his mistress? That one might ring a bell. In fact, in both cases, we’re talking about the same two people—Gen. David Petraeus and Paula Broadwell. New York Times writer Jessica Bennett discusses the media’s use of the stigmatizing word “mistress” in this June 2016 post in the Times Insider blog.

Read it here: Bennett, “’Why do people still use the word ‘mistress’? A reporter reflects”