The News Media’s Coverage of Crime and Victimization Video

Department of Justice. Office of Justice Programs. Office for Victims of Crime. National Victim Assistance Academy. The News Media’s Coverage of Crime and Victimization. NCJ 178239. The news media’s coverage of crime and victimization provides a necessary and invaluable public service, but can often result in painful re-victimization of the victims involved. This video explores how the news media tend to cover crime and victimization, what can be done to help victims effectively deal with this sometimes insensitive coverage, and how victim service providers can work together with members of the media to promote timely, sensitive media coverage. Nationally renowned victim advocates Anne Seymour, Ellen Levin and Carroll Ellis, along with Colorado State University Journalism Professor Greg Luft and Colorado-Oklahoma Resource Council Co-Director Robin Finegan discuss this critical issue, focusing on serious crimes that have triggered massive media attention, including the 1986 murder of Jennifer Levin, the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City and subsequent trial, and the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Providing constructive recommendations for media coverage of crime and victimization that is both comprehensive and respectful of victims’ vulnerability and needs, this second videotape in the National Victim Assistance Academy (NVAA) series is an invaluable training and teaching tool for victims, victim …