Tips & Tools

Sexual Violence

Rape is violence, not "sex." Reporting on sexual assault means finding not only the language but the context and sensitivity to communicate a trauma that is at once deeply personal and yet a matter of public policy; immediate and yet freighted with centuries of stigma, silence and suppression. Reporting on sexual violence requires special ethical sensitivity, interviewing skills, and knowledge about victims, perpetrators, law and psychology.

Dart Resources

  • Tip Sheet

    Documenting Rape in War

    By Judith Matloff

    It takes a delicate awareness of cultural sensitivities and ethics to report on sexual violence without causing victims further distress or danger.

  • Tip Sheet

    Reporting on Sexual Violence

    Quick tips on covering sexual violence, from preparation to writing the story.

  • Dart Award Winner

    Seeking Justice for Campus Rapes

    By Joseph Shapiro, Robert Benincasa, Susanne Reber, Kristen Lombardi, Kristin Jones, David Donald, and Gordon Witkin

    This series combined far-reaching investigative reporting with powerful personal stories to expose a pattern in which college students found responsible for sexual assaults face little punishment, while their victims receive little help. Originally aired on NPR in February and March, 2010.

  • In Depth

    Brutalized, then Betrayed

    By Joan Connell

    Lara Logan suffered sexual battery in Cairo, then gender bigotry back home.

  • Excerpt

    The Private War of Women Serving in Iraq

    By Helen Benedict

    A journalist and author tells a story almost no one wants to hear: sexual assault in the military. 

More Features »

Outside Resources

  • Futures Without Violence: Domestic, Dating and Sexual Violence

    http://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/content/action_center/detail/754

  • A Frustrating Search for Justice

    Center for Public Integrity

    An investigation of the institutional barriers to justice for victims of sexual assault on college campuses.

  • Child Sexual Abuse

    National Center for PTSD

    A National Center for PTSD Fact Sheet. It details the effects of sexual abuse on children, and adults exposed to sexual abuse as children.

  • Men and Sexual Trauma

    National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

    A fact sheet defining sexual assault among males and giving an overview of its immediate and long-term effects.

  • Sexual Assault Against Females

    National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

    A fact sheet defining sexual assault among females and giving an overview of its immediate and long-term effects.

  • Sexual Assault FAQs

    WomensHealth.Gov

    Answers to frequently asked questions about sexual assault from the United States federal government source for women's health information.

  • Cardinal Law

    Boston Phoenix

    Complete coverage of the 2002 Catholic Church priest sexual abuse scandal.

  • Telling the Truth About Rape

    Poynter Online

    A series of essays by journalists exploring the coverage of sexual assault.

  • Covering Tragedy

    ABC Radio

    2007 Ochberg Fellow Lisa Millar talks about trauma journalism on the National Media Report.

All Tips & Tools