Self-Study Unit 1: Journalism & Trauma

Each year the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma recognizes outstanding newspaper coverage of victims and their experiences with the The Dart Award for Excellence in Reporting on Victims of Violence. A panel of judges from across the country convenes to select the winner of each year's award. Judges look for entries that go beyond the ordinary in reporting on victims of violence, taking into account all aspects of an entry. The reporting, photography and layout (headlines, cutlines, artwork and graphics) should:

• Portray victims of violence and their experiences with accuracy, insight and sensitivity.
• Be clear and engaging, with a strong theme or focus.
• Inform readers about the ways individuals react to and cope with emotional trauma, as well as the process of recovery.
• Avoid sensationalism, melodrama, and portrayal of victims as tragic or pathetic figures.
• Emphasize the victim's experience rather than the brutality or cruelty of perpetrators.

The final judges consist of three journalists chosen from outside Washington state, a victim/survivor representative, and the president-elect of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

Two previous winners for the Dart Award illustrate some of the concepts discussed in this curriculum module.

"Who Killed John McCloskey," The Roanoke Times (Roanoke, Va.). A compelling series on the the suspicious death of an 18-year-old man arrested and placed in the care of a mental institution, the cover-up that followed, and the family's on-going grief and confusion (2000 Dart Award winner).

"A Stolen Soul," The Portland Press Herald (Portland, Maine). For the sensitive and thorough portrayal of Yong Jones' struggle to bring her son's murderer to justice against the backdrop of her cultural beliefs (1999 Dart Award winner).