Advocating For Safe, Responsible Reporting About Domestic Violence

By Christine Murray, See the Triumph Co-Founder

If you’re like me, sometimes you’ve read or seen a story about domestic violence in the media, and it’s made you cringe because of how the story was reported or the misinformation it included. Or maybe you’ve also experienced stronger reactions, such as outrage and anger. Chances are, if you’re informed about the dynamics of domestic violence and you care about the issue, you’ve noticed examples of irresponsible--and possibly even unsafe--media reporting about the issue. Examples of practices that I consider to be irresponsible reporting include providing incorrect information about the dynamics of abusive relationships, framing stories in ways that blame victims, and providing details in stories that could pose safety risks for victims.

You can take action to prevent problematic reporting, correct misinformation that is conveyed, and work proactively to promote safe, responsible media reporting about domestic violence. These steps include the following:

1. If you see a media story that treats the issue of domestic violence in an irresponsible or unsafe way, communicate with the news outlet to let them know your concerns. For example, if it’s a newspaper story, consider writing about your concerns in a Letter to the Editor, or even in a direct message via e-mail to the paper’s editor. Many media outlets now make reporters’ e-mail addresses publicly available on their web-sites, and so a message to that reporter can help educate them about domestic violence and provide your suggestions for reporting future stories in a more responsible manner.
   
   
2. If you are being interviewed for a story about domestic violence, then ask the reporter if they will share the story with you before it’s released to the public. In my experience, sometimes this is a possibility, and other times, it’s not. However, it never hurts to ask! If you have concerns that anything you said might take on a different meaning if it’s taken out of context, share your concerns with the reporter after the interview. Take some time after the interview to talk with the reporter about the importance of contextual information in domestic violence cases, as well as about the safety issues that surround this issue. You can use an interview as an opportunity to educate reporters on how to engage in more responsible reporting practices in their future stories about the issue.
   
   
3. If you see dangerous practices that pose safety risks to victims and survivors, work with others to challenge these practices and move toward more safe reporting. For example, I recently heard about a local newspaper in one community that regularly publishes details about victims from the local police blotter that could identify the victims to members of the community, even if the victims’ names are not revealed. When dangerous media reporting practices like this are happening, there is strength in numbers. I believe the best way to address these issues is to collaborate with a variety of community stakeholders (e.g., professionals from domestic violence agencies, law enforcement officials, survivors, and even state-level domestic violence coalitions) to put forth a strong message about the need to discontinue these practices. Each stakeholder can communicate the reasons why these practices are unsafe from their own perspective, and as a group, everyone can develop a set of suggested new practices for the media outlet to adopt. Individual actions are also important, but when safety issues are at stake, it’s especially valuable to build a strong community coalition to ensure that the media understands the need to protect the safety of survivors of domestic violence.
   
   

I believe that most reporters who engage in irresponsible reporting about domestic violence do so because they don’t fully understand the dynamics of abusive relationships, and therefore they don’t necessarily see how their practices are irresponsible, or even unsafe. Their expertise and training may not have covered the topic of domestic violence at all, and they were trained to use conventional media and reporting skills, not necessarily to apply those skills to every unique issue they cover in their reporting. They often face practical constraints that would prevent them from addressing the issue of domestic violence in ways that advocates would view as ideal--especially given the time and space limitations of many media stories.

Therefore, whenever possible, I suggest that advocates for raising awareness about domestic violence in local communities work proactively, over time to build relationships with reporters and others (e.g., administrators and news directors). With strong relationships with members of the media in your communities, you can work together to learn about the nature of each other’s work, as well as to develop strategies to have domestic violence be covered in safe, responsible ways in your community.