Covering Violence: A Guide to Ethical Reporting About Victims and Trauma
Key Guidance
New York: Columbia University Press, 2nd ed. (2006), xv, 295 pp.
Contains bibliogr. pp. 283-291, index
ISBN 0-231-13393-6
Other editions: 1st ed. 2000
Signature commbox: 10-Conflicts-E 2006
"Now in its second edition, Covering Violence remains a crucial guide for becoming a sensitive and responsible reporter. Discussing such topics as rape and the ethics of interviewing children, the book gives students and journalists a detailed understanding of what is happening "on the scene" of a violent event, including where a reporter can go safely and legally, how to obtain the most useful information, and how best to interview and photograph victims and witnesses. This second edition takes our turbulent postmillennium history into account and emphasizes the consequences of frequent exposure to traumatic events. It offers new chapters on 9/11 and terrorism, the Columbine school shootings, and the photographing of violent events, as well as additional profiles of Vietnamese American, Native American, and African American journalists." (Publisher description)
Introduction: journalists and violence, 1
1 Assault on an essential human system, 19
2 The journalist: at risk for trauma, 37
3 9/11: lessons from a sunny morning, 50
4 Reporting at the scene, 70
5 The interview: assault or catharsis? 98
6 Writing the trauma story, 121
7 Pictures and sounds of trauma, 141
8 Reporting about children, 164
9 Columbine: a story that won't let go, 193
10 Reporting on rape trauma, 210
11 Using the searchlight with precision and sensitivity, 230
12 Oklahoma City: "Terror in the heartland", 253
13 Conclusions, 263
1 Assault on an essential human system, 19
2 The journalist: at risk for trauma, 37
3 9/11: lessons from a sunny morning, 50
4 Reporting at the scene, 70
5 The interview: assault or catharsis? 98
6 Writing the trauma story, 121
7 Pictures and sounds of trauma, 141
8 Reporting about children, 164
9 Columbine: a story that won't let go, 193
10 Reporting on rape trauma, 210
11 Using the searchlight with precision and sensitivity, 230
12 Oklahoma City: "Terror in the heartland", 253
13 Conclusions, 263
