Nieman Reports

Winter 1998

Children and Violence

Cover for Winter 1998

In this edition, we examine ways in which we report on children and violence. We travel to the sites of the five recent and highly publicized school shootings, then journey into the private realm of family violence, as seen through the eyes of children who witness it. From there, we move into courtrooms and juvenile detention centers, and also get a glimpse of adolescent girls’ increasing involvement with crime. Then, we take a look at how customary methods of coverage shape public perception and policymaking in the arena of child and juvenile crime. Finally, editors at Chicago’s two newspapers take us inside their decision-making when it comes to coverage of children and violence.

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Children and Violence: The Witness. The Victim. The Accused

Winter 1998: Children and Violence Introduction

By Features December 15, 1998

In this edition, we examine ways in which we report on children and violence. We travel to the sites of the five recent and highly publicized school shootings, then journey into the private realm of family violence, as seen through the eyes of children who witness it. From there, we move into courtrooms and juvenile detention centers, and also get a glimpse of adolescent girls’ increasing involvement with crime. Then, we take a look at how customary methods of coverage shape public perception and policymaking in the arena of child and juvenile crime. Finally, editors at Chicago’s two newspapers take us inside their decision-making when it comes to coverage of children and violence. Read more

School Shootings: National and Local Perspectives

When Children Witness Violence: What Happens Next?

Juveniles and Crime: The Courts. The Lock-up. And Girls.

Media and Juvenile Violence: The Connecting Threads.

What Numbers Can Tell Us

Journalist’s Trade December 15, 1998

336% = the percentage increase in coverage of homicide on NBC, ABC, and CBS nightly news between 1990 and 1995. During this time, homicide arrests dropped by 13%. 99% = the percent of violent deaths of children that occurred outside … Read more

City Coverage of Juvenile Crime: THe View from Chicago

Truth and Reconciliation: Reporting the Horrors of Apartheid

Letters to the Editor

Masthead

Publisher
Bill Kovach
Editor
Melissa Ludtke
Assistant Editor
Lois Fiore
Editorial Assistant
Adam Reilly
Technology Editor
Lewis Clapp
Design Editor
Deborah Smiley
Business Manager
Susan Goldstein
Cover Story
Taken at the Wayne County Juvenile Justice Center in Detroit, Michigan. Photo by Pauline Lubens/The Detroit Free Press.

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