News and events

New broadcast guidelines published to improve reporting on violence against women

Today we release New broadcast media guidelines to help change attitudes to violence against women and girls by supporting journalists to cover stories of violence against women responsibly.

The broadcast guidelines build on our existing media guidelines for print journalism with input from Bauer Media to adapt them for broadcast.

The media can raise awareness and improve attitudes to violence against women, but it can also perpetuate myths and misconceptions about the violence and abuse women experience. Our guidelines provide best practice language as well as guidance on how to frame stories to condemn violence, ensure blame is placed on perpetrators, and survivors are protected.

We offer a range of resources to journalists as part of our work to end men’s violence against women. We host the Write to End Violence Against Women awards in partnership with the End Violence Against Women (EVAW) Coalition to recognise journalists who bring stories of gender inequality and violence against women and girls to light in a responsible, accurate, and sensitive way.

Rachel Adamson, Zero Tolerance’s Co-Director, said:

"The media has a vital role in ending men’s violence against women and girls. It is therefore hugely disappointing to continually see and hear harmful reporting which reinforces attitudes that lead to violence against women. We urgently need reporting that recognises and understands this violence and we need an end to coverage that sympathises with perpetrators and blames victims.

We publish these guidelines to support those journalists who wish to challenge men’s violence against women in our society and thank them for making a difference. We will keep working until all journalists adopt this practice.”

Andrea Simon, Director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said:

“By raising awareness of abuse and its root causes, journalists have a hugely important role in shifting victim-blaming attitudes and beliefs that violence against women and girls is ‘normal’ or should be tolerated.

 

Despite violence against women remaining firmly on the agenda, we’re still seeing a worrying amount of misleading and harmful media narratives that trivialise and excuse men's violence against women, as well as racist tropes about which victims are seen as credible and deserving of our attention. We support these guidelines which will help put an end to the media’s role in perpetuating myths and misconceptions about victims and the violence women experience.”