Journalist who uncovered R Kelly sex 'cult' says media 'has not done its job'

R&B singer R. Kelly has re-entered the news this week over a controversial article on BuzzFeed written by reporter Jim DeRogatis. 

In the piece titled "R. Kelly Is Holding Women Against Their Will In a 'Cult,' Parents Told Police,' DeRogatis reveals disturbing new allegations that the artist has been luring women away from their families, to live in one of his many homes in Atlanta or Chicago, and controlling their every move, from who they can contact to when they use the bathroom. 

"The entertainment journalism world has not done its job of driving home the point" of Kelly's alleged crimes, says DeRogatis in an interview. He continues to note that the media's slowness has inadvertently led to Kelly's continued alleged crimes, which is particularly harmful to young black women. "I don't think anybody matters less in society than young black women," he says.  

This isn't the first time Kelly has been in the news for his supposed predatory behaviour. In 1995, Kelly married singer Aaliyah who was only 15 years old at the time but records obtained showed her age had been falsified to say she was 18. Then in 2002, Chicago police investigated Kelly over a sex tape with a 14-year-old girl. (For a full timeline of allegations, head over to Spin.) 

DeRogatis has been investigating and reporting on Kelly for years and his latest story is just another piece of the puzzle that is the singer's startling behaviour. Today, q guest host Ali Hassan speaks to DeRogatis about his years of reporting.  

Below is a video of a press conference held on Monday by the family of one of R. Kelly's victims.

— Produced by Ty Callender