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Domestic Violence Presentation Raises Awareness in Student Reporters' Stories

Approximately 1.5 million women are abused annually.1 Considering newspapers' influence, it is important to examine the effects of awareness on violence coverage. This study specifically examined the effects of awareness on article content of student journalists.Raising media awareness is done to bring reporting practices closer to social norms.2 Few sources of journalistically focused information are available about domestic violence, the exception including the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma's Tips and Tools: A Guide for Journalists: Domestic Violence.3Scholars have studied journalistic representations of domestic violence, examining coverage that a) justifies violence, b) positively portrays the perpetrator, c) blames victims, d) uses inadequate sources and e) portrays violence as an isolated event. Meyers addresses journalism practices and violence against women. She writes that journalists cannot reflect society and be unaccountable for its ills when news lacks neutrality. She also argues that excusing abuse leads to victim blame by default.4 Her study found coverage using stereotypes and myths reinforces the idea of male supremacy.5Johnson found perpetrator and action justification in her examination of two San Francisco newspapers.6 Bullock and Cubert studied domestic violence fatality coverage in Washington state newspapers in 1998. They examined the accuracy of how victims' experiences were reflected, violence as a social issue and patterns of portrayal.7 The author's analysis, focused on professional journalists, indicated results similar to the current study.8 Hall's study9 examined coverage of victims, perpetrators and frames used in 2,200 stories from 35 U.S. newspapers. She found "In the attempt to be balanced, reporters seem to inadvertently report misconceptions about domestic violence."10 Examining frames, Hall found 48.5 percent of the stories were framed for the greater good of society, 42.3 percent framed violence as isolated events and 9.5 percent framed it as part of relationships.The portrayals of violence as an isolated event was examined by The Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence.11 The group report found that "in all but one case, the murders were treated as unpredictable, although investigation in eight of 12 cases revealed warning signs."12 Witness reaction focused on disbelief-a spontaneous reaction. Dependence on these sources resulted in reporting violence as a problem of individual breakdown, not a social problem.13Johnson asked if inadequate sources perpetuate misconceptions. She also found police made statements affecting the perception of violence.It is inconceivable that little effort was made to consult with experts. Instead, reporters asked police to explain domestic violence. The result was dangerous, and misleading information was repeated in media reports.14MethodThis study asks whether increasing reporters' awareness would result in stories representing domestic violence more objectively.RQ1:Does raising awareness decrease the use of excuses for the perpetrator?RQ2:Does raising awareness decrease victim-blaming language?RQ3:Does raising awareness increase inclusion of information that presents domestic violence as an ongoing social issue and not an isolated event?RQ4:Does raising awareness impact sources used?RQ5:Does raising awareness increase inclusion of information beneficial to the victim?Fifty-six students in undergraduate news and feature writing courses at a Midwestern university participated. A test group of 26 students was exposed to a 50-minute presentation by an advocate; a control group was unexposed. Each session included a pre-tested script with statistics and facts on domestic violence, discussion of media misrepresentation and suggestions for socially responsible coverage. The sessions were adapted from advocate suggestions: Hall's thesis, The framing of domestic violence in newspapers;15 Johnson's Media guidelines for coverage of sexual assault and domestic violence;16 and the RICADVs Domestic violence: A handbook for journalists. …