In this case I think it's appropriate. There's been a 32% increase in this attitude since last year. Do you really think the author of the article believes that 32% more men can't control themselves around women than last year?

I agree it's overused and abused, but this is pretty straightforward. The author is attributing the rise to "men can't control themselves" instead of the obvious "men are afraid of false accusations". Even if the latter is not a good reason to be uncomfortable, the article should address that point instead of the overt strawman.

Intentional misrepresentation of another's view.