The increasing and repetitive cover

The increasing and repetitive coverage of all forms of violence, particularly those involving women as perpetrators, has resulted in the exposure of these incidents and what appears to be increased public interest, as demonstrated by the popularity of fictionalized film and television episodes mirroring real-life incidents. It is important that this spotlight on violence against women not dis- torttheproblemandissuesthatneedtobeaddressedtodealwiththeproblem. What steps can be taken to influence public policy and promote positive social change?
1. Prevention of the minimization of the crimes of rape and assault in the news. The CentralParkattacksareaclearexample.Wereitnotforthecitizenswhotookvid- eosoftheattacks,thefullpicturewouldneverhavebeenknowntothepublic(i.e., police woman’s distorted report). It is unfortunate to have victims blamed for the violence perpetrated against them. When the incidents are reported in the news, obviously from sources of authority (i.e., judges, police officers), it gives even more credence to these erroneous stereotypes. News media legitimizes subjective biases because news reports appear as objective accounts of community events. 2. Anincreaseincoverageofnewpolicyandlegislationthatattemptstopreventvio- lence against women is needed to highlight the seriousness of the crimes. 3. Follow-upcoverageoftheconsequencesandoutcomeofviolenceagainstwomen is needed. Often, crimes are played over and over without coverage of the conse- quences.Theexceptionisusuallyacrimethatresultsinasensationaltrial,suchas the O. J. Simpson double-murder trial. 4. The high profile coverage of incidents with female perpetrators gives the impres- sion that they are far more frequent than they are in reality. Violence by women is more rare than male violence so it often receives more media coverage because these incidents are viewed as unusual and unique. However, it should be kept in mind that typically far fewer women kill their children than men. Therefore, this fact should be included in the news coverage of female-perpetrated violence in an effort to provide more balanced reporting. 5. Morediscussionisneeded,inthenews,ofvariousaspectsofdomesticviolenceto preventoversimplificationandproblematiclegislation,suchasmandatoryreport- ing of domestic violence by health care providers versus reports by law enforce- ment. The reports to police may result in retaliation by the batterer when the vic- timislessabletodefendherself(ifshehasbeeninjured)orhasnoplansinplaceto leave. This information along with resources for battered women should be included as part of the story to help women in similar situations. This would be a cost-effective way of educating the public. Another example of problematic legislation is the development of mandatory arrest policies as a result of abused individuals not pressing or recanting charges. Mandatory arrest policies take the onus off the woman because she no longer has to press charges. However, on the negative side, as a result, husbands now may accuse their wives of abuse and also have them arrested in retaliation.