THE WEEKLY REVEAL

Hello! In this issue:

• Female agents are so rare in the Border Patrol that they have their own nickname: the Fearless 5%.
• Where to see our new film, “Victim/Suspect.”
• Reveal is recognized at the National Headliner Awards.

THIS WEEK’S PODCAST

The Border Patrol’s Fearless 5%

Ernestine Lopez (front row, third from the left) was one of six in the first class of women admitted to the Border Patrol Academy in 1975. Credit: Courtesy of Ernestine Lopez

Female agents are so rare in the U.S. Border Patrol that they have their own nickname: the Fearless 5%. It’s meant to be a badge of honor, but the title is a bold admission of the agency’s inability to recruit or retain women.

Reporter Erin Siegal McIntyre set out to examine why this number has remained so low. She went back to the very origin of women serving in the law enforcement agency, spoke with more than two dozen current and former Border Patrol agents, and reviewed hundreds of pages of complaints and lawsuits. Those interviews and documents reveal a workplace where a wide range of sexual misconduct is pervasive: from stale sex jokes to retaliation for reporting sexual misconduct and assault and rape.

OUR LATEST

‘Victim/Suspect’ Is Coming Soon

On her first solo investigation, journalist Rachel de Leon uncovers a shocking nationwide pattern: Young women tell police they’ve been sexually assaulted, but instead of finding justice, they’re charged with the crime of making a false report, arrested and even imprisoned by the system they believed would protect them.

From Center for Investigative Reporting Studios, director Nancy Schwartzman and Motto Pictures, “Victim/Suspect” will be streaming on Netflix starting May 23.

Watch the trailer now or add a reminder to your Netflix queue. 

The film will also have a limited run in New York. Get tickets from the IFC Center.

A Quote to Remember

Marsha Cipollone sued Dell for discrimination after working on an otherwise all-male sales team. Now, Dell is among the major federal contractors that are fighting disclosure of their diversity data. Cipollone thinks it’s about time companies admit whether women and people of color are rising into leadership ranks – and face the consequences if they aren’t.

In Case You Missed It

Ending on a Good Note

🏆 The National Headliner Awards honored two stories this week that will be familiar to Reveal listeners. Our collaboration with Scripps News, “Inside the Global Fight for White Power,” won first place among broadcast radio documentaries. “This documentary adds to a growing global conversation and sounds another alarm that neither the public, religious leaders, nor counterterrorism officials can afford to ignore,” the judges said.

🏆 Reporting from “Unfinished: Ernie’s Secret,” the first-place winner in narrative podcasts and winner of best in show, was also the subject of an episode of Reveal.