Part 1 Situation Definition:
When it comes to sex crimes, the way that the media portrays the news is different compared to most other criminal offenses. In these cases, most often the victim’s name is not released due to the sensitive nature of these crimes. Kristen Houser recently gave a presentation to aspiring journalists at Penn State and highlighted both the importance of removing the victims name, along with the type of wording and language that should be used when reporting on sex crimes.
Part 2 Analysis:
On the topic of releasing the names of those victims of sexual crimes, many people believe that people are entitled to privacy. In these instances, it is human nature for the victim to experience embarrassment and humiliation. If the media were to release the victim’s name, they may feel as if their privacy was violated. Even simply reporting the victim’s relationship to the perpetrator or their age may be enough for them to be recognized in their local community. Since sex crimes are considered to be held to a different set of barriers when being reported on, the news media outlet must always be aware of what is appropriate to report and what is not.
In an article written by Kenneth Dowler titled Sex, lies, and videotape: The presentation of sex crime in local television news he discusses how sex crimes are often reported on later in the process while sentencing is being delivered and the case is over or nearly over. This style of reporting is used so that the media can report on the criminal’s actions confidently, having no fear that the justice system did not run it’s course first. The article also mentions that 10% of all reported crimes are sex related incidents.
Sex Crimes and The Media, a scholarly article published by Tania Serisier discusses the topic of silence when reporting sex crimes mentioning that victims often want to remain silent when affected by these horrible crimes.
The media must use sensitive language when reporting these types of crime to refrain from offending anyone. Whether it is offending the victim, their family, or others who have been affected, it is important for the media to understand the sensitivity of sexual related crimes. The victims safety and privacy should always been a main concern to the media as these topics can have a lasting effect on a victim’s life. As aspiring news reporters, Kristen Houser wanted to assure students fully understood the effects that their writing of these stories can have on the victims of these crimes.
Part 3 Conclusion:
In conclusion, reporting on sex crimes is one of the most sensitive topics to cover as news media. It is important to recognize that each instance is unique, and each victim has their own way of coping with their issues. It is the duty of the news media to report the facts accurately without creating more issues and problems for the victims that they are reporting on.
Part 4 References:
Sex, lies, and videotape: The presentation of sex crime in local television news. (2006, July 24). Retrieved March 24, 2018, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047235206000560
Serisier, T. (2017, June 08). Sex Crimes and the Media. Retrieved March 24, 2018, from http://criminology.oxfordre.com/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264079.001.0001/acrefore-9780190264079-e-118