Media Professionals

By Kristen Barta

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Situating an incident in the context of domestic violence or intimate partner violence (IPV) is crucial in illustrating such violence as a social problem and not a private problem.

Refer to a domestic violence-related homicide as an act of domestic violence instead of calling it a homicide or murder.
Ex. “In an act of domestic violence, John Smith killed his wife” instead of “John Smith killed his wife.”

See What Is Relationship Abuse? and our Definitions page for more information.

Provide information such as statistics on the incidence of intimate partner violence (on a local, state, or national level) to situate a single incident in a broader social context of violence.

• Ex. Local: “the incident marks the fifth domestic violence call Palo Alto police have responded to this month.”
• Ex. State: “In 2008, there were 113 domestic violence homicides in California, according to the California Department of Justice’s Criminal Justice Statistics Center.”
• Ex. National: “According to the U.S. Department of Justice, one in four women will experience domestic violence or rape perpetrated by an intimate partner.”

• Promote awareness of the issue as well as options for those needing assistance
• Provide the number of a local hotline or shelter in the article or sidebar for those who need assistance
• Provide the number of a local hotline or shelter in the article or sidebar for those who want to help a friend
• Provide a link to a violence prevention agency in the article or sidebar for those who want to learn more
• Create and maintain a list of resources that can be accessed in the newsroom or on newsroom servers
• Create and maintain a resource list for use by staff members with phone numbers and media contacts at local anti-violence agencies

Avoid using passive voice to describe violence
Ex. Instead of “the victim was attacked by her husband,” write “the victim’s husband attacked her”
Exercise discretion in using terms such as “allegedly”
Law enforcement and legal representatives rely on “allegedly” as a means of preserving impartiality; however, the term is overused in the media and often unnecessarily obfuscates the reality of an incidence of violence.
Ex. Instead of “the victim was allegedly attacked by her husband,” write “the victim told police she was attacked by her husband”
Leave superfluous descriptions of the victim(s) and their behaviors out of the story
Descriptions of a victim’s appearance or sexual history are often included in sexual assault stories inappropriately. Commenting that a victim was “wearing a short skirt” or “seen dancing provocatively with the accused” blames the victim for the perpetrator’s actions and does not advance the story.

See Avoiding Victim Blaming and Exercise to Illustrate Victim Blaming in Rape Cases for more information.

Relationship abuse and sexual assault are gendered issues.

• Violence perpetrated by boys is often referred to by the media as “youth violence” while violence perpetrated by girls is referred to as “girls’ violence.” Avoid these biases.
• Media coverage often includes information/statistics on how many women were raped or abused, without noting how many men raped or abused them. Include information on perpetrators as well.
• Acknowledge that the majority of relationship abuse and sexual assault is committed by men against women or men against men. It is impossible to get to the root cause of the problem without maintaining a gendered analysis.

See Jackson Katz’ Language Matters: Violence Against Women for more information.

Abuse is a choice. It is not the result of someone “snapping,” nor is it a “crime of passion.” Avoid language that portrays the perpetrator as a typical, “nice guy” who snapped, or the victim and perpetrator as a “normal couple” as this removes accountability from the perpetrator and removes the incident of IPV from the greater context of abuse as a pattern of behavior.

Become familiar with and avoid stereotypes that portray the victim as “asking for it” or deserving of abuse and that portray the perpetrator as a “monster” or mentally ill
Do not use quotes that perpetuate stereotypes
Ex. If quoting a neighbor or friend as saying “he seemed like a normal guy” is unavoidable, balance it with a quote from another source or explanation

Recognize and explain that asking, “Why didn’t she leave?” places responsibility on the victim when the perpetrator should be held accountable for abuse instead. Explain that leaving is often the most dangerous time.
Become familiar with barriers to leaving abusive relationships. These include:
Fear of retaliation
Lack of housing, child care, employment opportunities, support from
friends/family, or legal resources
Immigration status
Pressure from family or the community
Ex. Pressure “to keep the family together”

See Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

Approach relationship abuse as you would any other crime when consulting law enforcement sources. Consider the following:

• Did the perpetrator have a history of abusive behavior?
• What is the cost to the community of abuse? (Analogous to asking about damages)
• How frequently does abuse occur in the community?

Seek sources beyond law enforcement and neighbors

• Anti-domestic violence advocates are legitimate sources that can supplement and balance comments from law enforcement and criminal justice sources
• If a quote or statement is confusing or unclear, ask an anti-domestic violence expert to clarify

Follow up on the perpetrator

• If the perpetrator is arrested, what charges or sentence do they face?
• If a case does not move to trial, explain why

There are no cultures or classes that are more violent than others.

• Do not assume that some cultures or classes are more violent than others
• Do not assume that there is a “cultural” explanation for violence, such as
  preventing disgrace by killing an adulterous partner

However, there may be culture-related barriers to leaving:

• Ex. In a same-gender relationship, the victim may fear being “outed” to his/her family or community
• Ex. An immigrant victim may be threatened by the perpetrator with deportation

Exchange comments on coverage—-how could a story be rewritten to exclude a stereotype, for example?

• Create a listserv for crime reporters and share resources, statistics, suggestions, etc.

Develop an understanding of:

• The spectrum of abusive behavior
• Warning signs of abuse
• Myths of abuse and stereotypes
• Resources for victims
• How to help someone who is being abused

• “Distracted by Drama: How California Newspapers Portray Intimate Partner Violence”
  Berkeley Media Studies Group, 2003.
• “Covering Domestic Violence: A Guide for Journalists and Other Media Professionals”
  Kelly Starr, Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 2008.
• News Coverage of Violence Against Women: Engendering Blame
  Marian Meyers, Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 1997.
• “Reporting on Violence: New Ideas for Television, Print and Web”
  Jane Ellen Stevens and Lori Dorfman, Berkeley Media Studies Group, 2001.

• MissRepresentation.org
• Tough Guise (film)

Because the vast majority of domestic violence is committed by men against women, this page may contain the female gender pronoun when referring to the abused person. All the information in this section is relevant for male victims and for individuals in same-gender relationships. In addition, please see our resources on same-gender relationships.