Resources for Covering Sexual Abuse of Children
The trial of Jerry Sandusky and the Penn State scandal have brought the topic of sexual abuse of children to the forefront. It's a complicated issue that has to be covered carefully, fairly and with great sensitivity.
Journalistic ethics and principles may be tested as journalists struggle to present the facts without harming victims or accused perpetrators. Journalists covering child sex abuse are likely to face emotional or angry sources. In researching the topic, journalists may need to make sense of confusing descriptions of mental disorders that could lead a person to engage in sexual abuse of children, and they might even encounter cultural or religious beliefs that seem to justify such behavior. Yet in the end, they must create thorough, balanced coverage of this highly charged issue.
Resources on this page will enable journalists to meet these challenges. These resources are provided as part of a Specialized Reporting Institute, "Covering Child Sex Abuse," hosted at The Poynter Institute on July 9-10, 2012. The SRI was funded by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Research and Records
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): One of the largest investigations ever conducted to assess associations between childhood maltreatment and later-life health and well-being
Child Sexual Abuse, National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: A fact sheet outlining related behavior, perpetrators, effects and observation and reporting methods
Media Packet: What is Child Sexual Abuse?, National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC): A packet available in .txt and .pdf formats providing helpful summaries about the types, victims, perpetrators, incidences and warning signs of child sexual abuse; a second, more comprehensive, packet addresses a broader range of sexual violence
National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect (NDACAN), College of Human Ecology, Cornell University: A hub for scholarly research and data on chlld abuse
National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS-4), 2004-2009: Report from the Administration for Children & Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, (NISVS), the CDC's latest data on sexual violence, relased in December 2011
Writing About Sexual Abuse of Children
Journalism Center on Children & Families (JCCF): Nonprofit program that recognizes exemplary reporting on children and families, including reporting on child abuse and neglect
Judicial Language Project (JLP), Center for Law and Social Responsibility, New England Law | Boston: A running list of problematic language used during sexual assault cases and a competing list of more appropriate terms and phrases to employ
Reporting on Child Sexual Abuse, The National Center for Victims of Crime: Reporter resources featuring a guide to terminology, contextual information, related statistics, criminal and civil justice procedures and reporting do’s and don’ts
Sandusky Case Resources and Trial Packet, resources gathered by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center
Yale Daily News, New York Times Both Make Wrong Call on Patrick Witt Sexual Assault Complaint Coverage: A description by Poynter faculty member Kelly McBride of common errors by journalists in their coverage of sexual assault
AEquitas: Works toward justice in sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking and dating violence cases by educating prosecutors and broadening the concept of justice in these cases
Child Welfare Information Gateway, part of the Administration on Children, Youth and Families and the Administration for Children and Families, within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Connects child welfare and related professionals to comprehensive information and resources to help protect children and strengthen families
Darkness to Light: Nonprofit with the mission of reducing the incidence of child sexual abuse through public awareness and education
Jeff Anderson & Associates: Law firm that pioneered the use of civil litigation to seek justice for survivors of childhood sex abuse; influential in representing victims of clergy sex abuse
National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC): Offers information and resources on all aspects of sexual violence, including intervention and prevention strategies
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC): Resource center for the public, parents, law enforcement and others about the issues surrounding the sexual exploitation of children
Prevent Child Abuse America: Aims to raise awareness and educate toward preventing the abuse and neglect of our nation’s children
Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN): Creator and operator of National Sexual Assault Hotline; carries out programs to prevent sexual violence, help victims and ensure that rapists are brought to justice
Stop It Now!: Prevents the sexual abuse of children by mobilizing adults, families and communities to take actions that protect children
Children of Domestic Violence: Dedicated to breaking the cycle of violence. See their website for resources.
A definition of pedophilia from the Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders
Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA): Professional organization of clinicians and researchers providing treatment to sex offenders
Pedophilia: Comprehensive Time magazine article about pedophilia
WebMD FAQ on Pedophilia
Resources from the SRI
Truth and Fairness When Reporting on Child Sexual Abuse: Kelly McBride's SRI presentation on using your ethical journalism tools to ensure that your coverage of sex abuse is fair, doesn't perpetuate stereotypes and shields victims
Highlights of SRI presentation by Sara Ganim, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who broke the first story about the Jerry Sandusky scandal
Sex Offender Registries
Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW), coordinated by the U.S. Department of Justice: An advanced search tool that allows a user to submit a single national query to obtain information about sex offenders; a listing of public registry websites by state, territory and tribe; and information on sexual abuse education and prevention
Sex Offender Registry Websites, Federal Bureau of Investigation: A portal for national sex offender registry searches
A Perpetrator's Viewpoint
Throughout history, there have been people who argue that "consensual" sexual relationships between adults and children are both possible and harmless. It is possible —and might even be necessary — for journalists to explain this viewpoint. To gain some insight into these beliefs, visit: Wikipedia's article on the North American Man/Boy Love Association and the NAMbLA website.
Engaging Bystanders in Sexual Violence Prevention, by Joan Tabachnick, National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 2009: Can be downloaded from the NSVRC website
Predators: Pedophiles, Rapists & Other Sex Offenders: Who They Are, How They Operate and How We Can Protect Ourselves and Our Children by Anna C. Salter, Ph.D., Basic Books, 2004
Re-visioning the Sexual Violence Continuum, L. Guy, Partners in Social Change, Fall 2006: Note graphics on pages 5 and 7
Virgin or Vamp: How the Press Covers Sex Crimes by Helen Benedict, Oxford University Press, USA, 1993
Covering Sexual Assault: A Webinar replay that examines issues tied to covering sexual assult. Improve your awareness, increase your sensitivity in interviewing victims, know the rights of the accused and learn to understand public reports and surveys.
Trauma Awareness: What Every Journalist Needs to Know: This Webinar replay will teach you to recognize and manage stress and trauma, both in yourself and in your sources.
Covering Child Sex Abuse: Lessons from the Sandusky Story: Watch video highlights from Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sara Ganim's presentation on breaking the Sandusky story. Her presentation took place at the SRI, "Covering Child Sex Abuse," hosted at The Poynter Institute. Sara describes how she went beyond court documents, legal jargon and news releases to uncover and verify information and piece together her story.
Reporting on Sexual Violence: Learn to report accurately and dispel myths surrounding sexual violence.
Introduction to Ethical Decision-Making: Covering the sexual abuse of children can test your ethical decision-making skills. This course will help you identify, understand and practice those skills before you're faced with a tough call on deadline. It will also give you the confidence to meet that challenge.
Journalism and Trauma: The skills for interviewing traumatized victims and their families do not always come naturally. As a reporter covering sexual abuse of children, you'll need heightened awareness and sensitivity. This course will teach you how traumatic stress affects victims and how to interview trauma victims with compassion and respect.
Additional Training and Tips
How to Cover the Freeh Report on Penn State, Child Sexual Abuse: Poynter's senior faculty member for ethics, Kelly McBride, offers tips for ensuring that your coverage supports survivors of sexual abuse, educates your community and holds institutions accountable for preventing the sexual abuse of children.
How Open Records Law Would Have Stopped Sex Abuse Sooner at Penn State: Poynter's Al Tompkins argues for improved open records laws that would assist journalists in their role as public watchdogs.
Sara Ganim Explains How She Develops Sources, Gets Them to Open Up: Highlights from her talk at Poynter about the challenges of covering child sex abuse and how she develops sources, reports stories on sensitive subject matters and uses social media.