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

  • Dart Award Honorable Mention

    Hostages to Justice

    By Jeff Seidel, Regina H. Boone, Rick Nease, David Zeman, Kathy Kieliszewski, Susan Hall-Balduf, Steve Anderson, and Jason Karas

    This five-part series tells the story of female inmates of Michigan prisons as they endured years of sexual assault at the hands of guards. Originally published in January 2009 by the Detroit Free Press, received an honorable mention for the 2010 Dart Award for Excellence in the Coverage of Trauma.

  • Video Feature

    Telling the Hardest Stories

    By Stan Alcorn

    Winners and judges of the Dart Awards for Excellence in Coverage of Trauma break down the process behind  three exemplary stories.

  • Video Interview

    Three Questions on Campus Rape

    By Stan Alcorn

    Kristen Lombardi, staff writer for the Center for Public Integrity, answers three questions about the knowledge, methods and ethics needed to report sexual assault on college campuses.

  • Interview

    Covering Campus Sexual Assault

    By Bruce Shapiro

    Center for Public Integrity staff writer Kristen Lombardi explains how she pierced the shroud of secrecy surrounding rape on college campuses.

  • Behind the Story

    'Chosen' Confronts Abuse with Candor

    By Gavin Rees

    Brian Woods explains how he turned the testimony of three middle-aged men into a powerful documentary on sexual exploitation.

More Features »

Outside Resources

  • 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

Publications for Topic