The basic and ever-present tenet of journalism is covering crime, whether there is a single victim or multiple. This creates a conflict between what news organizations may consider “the public’s right to know” and the traumatized person’s expectation of and right to privacy.
Providers of victim services play a critical role in protecting those rights and helping victims cope with the media coverage immediately following a crime and during the trial and verdict. Understanding the media, its goals, internal pressures, training, or lack thereof, and the questions they could ask will help victim service providers better assist the victims and survivors whose lives were thrust into the public eye.
This training will provide participants with real, life-tested, usable tips on how to help victims navigate intense media interest and pressures and learn strategies on how you can help interested victims and survivors work with journalists to make sure their voices are heard, and their stories are represented accurately.