Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma

Photo: Jeff Widener / The Honolulu Advertiser: Breeanna Aiona-Aka, 16, was devastated after her older sister Daysha Iwalani Aiona-Aka was murdered by Daysha's ex-boyfriend. Daysha's story became part of a Dart Award-winning series on domestic violence in The Honolulu Advertiser.

Across the United States, nearly five million women and three million men each year face violent abuse within an intimate relationship. Intimate partner violence transcends race, ethnicity, class, gender and sexual orientation, and poses a serious public health problem for all communities. One in four teenagers report verbal, physical, emotional or sexual abuse from a dating partner each year. Immigrants and refugees may resist reporting abuse to police for fear of jeopardizing their legal status or that of their family. Lesbians and gay men whose families and friends are unsupportive of their sexuality often have fewer sources of support, increasing isolation and making it more difficult to leave abusive relationships.

The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma recently hosted a two-day workshop, made possible by generous funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, to help journalists and news organizations cover this critical public health issue. The workshop featured a wide range of speakers including national and local mental health and policy experts, award-winning journalists, educators and prevention advocates. All materials from the workshop are now available on the Dart Center's website.

They include:

• Tipsheets on covering intimate partner violence, including essential background, interviewing, reporting, writing, working with youth and more.
• Source-development resources including contact information for national speakers and prevention, education, advocacy and direct service organizations in the New York area.
• Videos and presentation materials from workshop sessions featuring experts, advocates and journalist-to-journalist discussion. In one example, Jan Hoffman of the New York Times discusses reporting on adolescents: 

Please share these resources with your colleagues who cover the vital issue of intimate partner violence and related beats such as courts, crime, families and education.