Chapter 5
Covering Crime and Its Victims: Resources
By Suzette Hackney

Best Practices for Newspaper Journalists
A handbook for reporters, editors, photographers and other newspaper professionals on how to be fair to the public, written by Robert J. Haiman for The Freedom Forum's Free Press/Fair Press Project.

DART Center for Journalism and Trauma
The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, at the University of Washington School of Communications, is a resource center and program developer for students, educators, journalists and news organizations interested in the intersection of journalism and trauma issues. The Center recognizes and encourages excellence in reporting on victims of violence and trains journalists on issues of trauma in collaboration with the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.
http://www.dartcenter.org

Department of Journalism Center for People and the Media
A great resource on journalism and victims of crime from all perspectives, from the University of Central Oklahoma. Included are online articles, links to information, statistics, resources, contact organizations and more.
http://www.libarts.ucok.edu/journalism/victims.htm

Helping Journalists Deal with Trauma
Presented by NewsLab, a resource for television journalists, this page presents a number of links to information, organizations or services which can help journalists experiencing traumatic stress.
http://www.newslab.org/trauma.htm

Karloff, K. Naming Rape Victims and Survivors: A U.S Newsroom Policy Study. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication/California State University-Northridge, 2000.

Kilpatrick, D., C. Edmunds, and A. Seymour. Rape in America: A Report to the Nation. The National Women's Study, Charleston, S.C.: Medical University of South Carolina National Crime Victims Research Treatment Center; Arlington, VA: National Center for Victims of Crime, 1992.

The National Center for Victims of Crime advocates adoption of a code of ethics for media professionals who deal with crime victims. The proposal, developed at a 1985 symposium by Seattle University and Seattle Women in News, was designed to recognize the demands journalists face while encouraging them to treat victims with dignity and respect. The code includes a vow that the journalist shall notify and ask permission from victims and their families before using pictures or photographs and shall not promote sensationalism in reporting crime or criminal court cases in any way.

The News Media Community
Chapter 13 from the U.S. Office for Victims of Crime manual, "New Directions from the Field - Victims Rights and Services in the 21st Century." The Office for Victims of Crime is a U.S. Justice Department agency.
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/new/directions/chap13.htm

The News Media's Coverage of Crime and Victimization
This section of the National Victim Assistance Academy 2000 textbook explores how the news media tend to cover crime and victimization, what can be done to help victims effectively deal with this sometimes insensitive coverage, and how victim service providers can work together with members of the media to promote timely, sensitive media coverage. A videotape version of this information is also available. It was prepared with assistance from the federal Office for Victims of Crime and is written from the victim's point of view.
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/assist/nvaa2000/academy/chapter18.htm
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/assist/nvaa/video2.htm

Oukrop. C.E., 1982, Views of Newspaper Gatekeepers on Rape and Rape Coverage, Manhattan, KS., Kansas State University.

Police, Journalists and Victims Search for Common Ground
This mini-site is devoted to summarizing issues involving journalists, victims, victim advocates and police discussed during the panel presentation at the Society for Professional Journalists 2000 National Convention, on the topic of an advisory card on victims and the media prepared by the e Fairfax County, Va., police department.
http://crimevictims.net/spj

Reporting On the 9-11 Victims: Are Journalists Making Wise Choices?
A 75-minute streaming video in Real Player format. Journalists and faculty members of the Victims and the Media Program respond to questions and comments from students and members of the MSU community about news coverage of the events on Sept. 11 and the aftermath of the terrorism. The goal of the discussion is to help readers, viewers and listeners better understand the process and standards by which journalists make decisions when covering disasters.
http://www.wmsu.org/programs/010921_911jschool.htm

The Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics
The SPJ Code of Ethics is voluntarily embraced by thousands of writers, editors and other news professionals. The present code was adopted by the 1996 SPJ National Convention, after months of study and debate among the Society's members.
http://www.spj.org

Bob Steele, senior faculty and ethics group leader at the Poynter Institute, has developed guidelines that suggest best practices for dealing with coverage of school shootings, hostage situations and other large-scale tragedies.

Thomason, T., and P. LaRocque. Newspaper Coverage of Rape: Editors Still Reluctant to Name the Victim. Fort Worth, TX: Texas Christian University, 1994.

Victims and the Media Program
The Victims and the Media Program at Michigan State University was established to assist journalism students in reporting on victims of violence and catastrophe with the sensitivity, dignity and respect that they deserve. They also conduct workshops for newspapers, media associations and journalism educators. Bonnie Bucqueroux, coordinator of Michigan State University's Victims and the Media Program. Bucqueroux is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to what happens when journalists and crime victims meet.

Winch, S.P. On Naming Rape Victims: How Editors Stand on the Issue, Minneapolis, MN. Paper presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication national convention, 1991.