Tips for Reporters when Working with Victims of Violent Crime

Media coverage of crime greatly influences public perceptions about victims. As reporters rush to meet deadlines, particularly in the immediate aftermath of crimes, their reporting may not reflect the desired sensitivity to traumatized victims. Because many reporters do not receive training about how to interact with victims, you have an opportunity to help them approach crime stories with sensitivity.

Tips for Reporters:

In writing news stories about crime, reporters have the difficult task of seeking interviews from victims and conducting those interviews in an ethical manner when victims agree to speak. Advocates can help reporters prepare to speak with victims by offering suggestions about how to approach victims so that they feel comfortable and safe. Educate reporters on how to approach crime victims by sharing the following guidelines.1

Asking for the Interview

• Recognize that the victim may be coping with shock and trauma.
• Approach the victim initially without equipment — notebooks, tape recorders, cameras, and lights — and try to make a human connection.
• Introduce yourself as a reporter, give the victim your name and title, and briefly explain what you hope
• Express concern for the victim by saying, “I am sorry for what happened to you” or “I am sorry for your loss.”
• Ask victims how they would prefer to be addressed, and observe that preference in all of your questions.
• Give the victim a reason to speak with you by explaining the purpose of the story, the fact that it will be published, and why the victim’s participation is important.
• Tell the victim how much time you need and observe that time limit.
• Courteously accept the victim’s refusal if he or she is unwilling to be interviewed.
• If the victim declines, express interest in a future interview, leave a business card, or send an email with your contact information, and ask for the names of others who may be willing to speak.

Logistics and Other Considerations

• Make the victim comfortable — offer a chair or suggest a comfortable, safe place to talk.
• Respect the victim’s space — because people experiencing trauma often do not want to be touched, hand the microphone to the victim and explain how to adjust it.
• Ask permission to record the interview.
• Clarify ground rules — explain that anything the victim says may be used in the interview.

Bonnie Bucqueroux and Anne Seymour, A Guide for Journalists Who Report on Crime and Crime Victims, (Washington, DC: Justice Solutions, 2009), 2–10, accessed
November 20, 2018, www. mediacrimevictimguide.com/journalistguide.pdf.