Domestic violence is a hard issue to investigate and a complicated one to report. Yet increasingly, reporters are getting the message out that domestic violence is a crime and that there is help for victims. So why has the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence (RICADV) developed this handbook?

The goal of this handbook is for reporters to see a murder or other crime involving intimate partners through the lens of domestic violence. The handbook provides reporters with information about Rhode Island’s domestic violence law and an understanding of the dynamics of domestic violence. It also shares the lessons that the Coalition has learned through conversations with journalists, through its own work, through recommendations from survivors, and from a 3-year media study conducted by the Boston College Media Research Action Project. While the handbook focuses on the Coalition’s experience in Rhode Island, these experiences are similar to what happens in other states.

Our hope is that the process that began with this handbook will help advocates and survivors continue an important dialogue with those in the media. Reporters can make a difference in the lives of victims by lifting the veil of silence that allows domestic violence to go unchecked to the point of murder.

The Law is very clear

Under the Rhode Island domestic violence law, domestic violence is a crime committed by one family or household member against another. Under the law, a family or household member includes:

• Spouses;
• Former spouses;
• Adults related by blood (family members) or marriage (in-laws);
• Adults who are living or have lived together in the past three years;
• People who are or have been engaged within the past six months;
• People who are or have been in a substantive dating relationship within the past one year;
• People who have a child in common, regardless of whether they have been married or have lived together.

Key Points

• Tips for Covering Domestic Violence
• Best Media Practices
• Recommendations from Survivors
• Reporters' Perspectives
• Facts and Stats
• DV Law

Download the Domestic Violence Handbook for Journalists

•  Domestic Violence Law 108.57 Kb (pdf)
•  About Domestic Violence 153.19 Kb (pdf)
• Facts and Statistics
• Key Findings
  
  •  Rhode Island Media Study 76.59 Kb (pdf)
  •  Recommendations from Survivors  70.16 Kb (pdf)
• Key Learnings
  • Tips for Covering Domestic Violence 73 Kb (pdf)
  • Best Media Practices 109 Kb (pdf)
    

•  Materials to Publish 69.46 Kb (pdf)