Covering Sexual Assault

At a time when high-profile cases of rape and sexual assault continue to make the news with depressing regularity, the need for fair, ethical, and hard-hitting reporting on the crime is more important than ever. But figuring out how to write about the topic is one of the biggest challenges a journalist can face. It can be difficult for reporters to build trust with sources, and even figuring out the right language to use is not always obvious. But by setting a few ground rules, avoiding bias, and maintaining an unwavering commitment to getting the facts straight, journalists can reveal to the public the complexity of sexual assault cases—and in turn, inform debate about how to prevent the crime and the institutional failures that often accompany it.