Gayle King's "Why didn't you leave?" question to FKA Twigs shows how the media helps perpetuate domestic violence.

USA Today

On CBS This Morning on Thursday, King interviewed the singer-songwriter about her lawsuit against ex-boyfriend Shia LaBeouf, alleging serious abuse. At one point, King asked: "Why didn't you leave?" Twigs quickly shut down the question. "I think we have to stop asking that question," she told King. "The question should really be to the abuser: 'Why are you holding someone hostage with abuse?' People say it can't have been that bad, because else you would've left. But it's like, no, it's because it was that bad, I couldn't leave." As USA Today's Alia E. Dastagir explains, "domestic violence experts say not only is the question inappropriate, it harms survivors by shifting attention away from their abusers. Experts say many survivors don't leave when the abuse begins, and people are often quick to judge them which is a factor in why many survivors stay silent."