Touching a child for sexual purposes is one definition of child sexual abuse. So is showing pornography to a child, photographing a child in sexual/suggestive poses or watching a child undress.
In today’s news, a story about a child sex offender often gets it’s 30 seconds of air time and then is dismissed for a bigger story about Kanye and his outbursts.
Its almost like they think the topic is too taboo for the audience to want to hear about it. I think they just don’t want to take a risk and would rather play it safe. This is not the type of journalism I want to be a part of. I want to give my audience all the facts because if I don’t report it, this issue might never receive the support it deserves.
An article I read today, Beyond the Headlines, covers the topic of child sexual abuse and provides several resources and statistics for journalists to use.
It also provides tips and story ideas on sexual offenders who target children and how states aim to target sex offenders.
What I found even more useful as a journalist is the breakdown of the training module which includes taking a story beyond a headline, interviewing victims, ethics and legal concerns, weeding out rumors from facts and finding the best ways to connect with and educate the public on the issue.
I find this site particularly useful for me as a journalist because I hope to some day make a difference by telling one of these stories.
There is no excuse for abuse and that is a message I want to make clear to my audience. These resources and tips will hopefully put me on that track to being a voice against violence.
