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| Domestic Violence: A Handbook for Journalists | |
|
To order the
handbook send $25 per book (includes shipping and handling) to Checks made payable to RICADV. For more information
contact |
"The goal of this handbook is for reporters to see a murder or other crime involving intimate partners through the lens of domestic violence...Reporters can make a difference in the lives of victims by lifting the veil of silence that allows domestic violence to go unchecked to the point of murder." The Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence (RICADV) produced this handbook to help journalists frame their stories of family murders as incidents of domestic violence rather than lapses of control or spontaneous eruptions of overwhelming jealousy or passion. The handbook argues that domestic violence homicides need to be understood and portrayed as part of the spectrum of abusive behaviors that batterers use to control their partners. To help journalist reframe their stories, the book provides basic information about Rhode Island's domestic violence laws and the dynamics of abuse, along with findings from a study that analyzed local newspaper coverage of recent domestic violence homicides in Rhode Island. (Media analysis indicated that domestic violence murders were most often portrayed as "unpredictable private tragedies.") Three chapters offer reporters valuable tips for covering domestic violence stories, including survivors' recommendations for conducting interviews, examples of best media practices for domestic violence reporting, and hints on how stories change over time. The guide offers a thorough list of important questions to ask, as well as important sources to speak with, when following a domestic violence story. While some of the legal and statistical information is specific to Rhode Island, many sections can easily be adapted or used "as is" in other parts of the country. Recommended for domestic violence advocates and journalists working to improve the reporting of domestic violence crimes by the media. © 2000, Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence (RICADV). |
