NCJ Number
236741
Date Published
2011
Length
10 pages
Annotation
New South Wales' (Australia) "Respectful Reporting: Victims of Violent Crime Media Strategy" promotes responsible media reporting of violent crime and encourages the media to consider the potential impact that their reporting of the crime could have on a victim.
Abstract
The strategy was developed by governmental agencies and victim organizations in consultation with the Journalism Education Association of Australia. The strategy has two key goals: to raise the media's awareness of both potential vulnerabilities of violent-crime victims and strategies they may be able to use in minimizing victims' trauma, as well as to provide resources to victims that explain how to deal with the media. Through a forum held by the sponsors of the strategy, the media representatives were able to provide input for a consensus on actions to be taken. One component of the strategy involves victim-service organizations' expanding the Victims of Crime Clearinghouse Web site to include practical information that assists the media in its reporting of violent crime. Other recommended actions are to organize contact with crime victims for journalism students, so as to improve their understanding of victimology and the challenges of reporting issues related to crime; the organizing of training for practicing journalists; a more comprehensive promotion of the Charter of Victims Rights; working with media agencies in further developing ethics and practice codes relating to interactions with vulnerable crime victims; and the development of more collaborative relationships between victim support organizations and the media. Also described are the resources to victims that explain how to deal with the media and measuring performance of the strategy's implementation. An action table is provided to show the partners, time frames, and outcome for each activity of the strategy.