Reporting of Violence Against Women
By Ruby Thomas
Reporting on violence against women and children is important to the public interest. Twenty-three per cent of Australian women have experienced intimate partner violence since the age of 15, compared to 7.3 per cent of Australian men (ABS, 2023). It is critical the media directs public awareness to the severity and pervasiveness of this gendered issue by reporting accurately and respectfully. Stakeholders such as advocacy groups, government, and academics have produced guidelines to help journalists report on gendered violence. These guidelines provide advice for best-practice reporting, supported by research into problematic representations by the media. The guidelines’ effectiveness, however, is limited by their ability to assist journalists to report on legal matters. This discussion will focus on guidelines published in 2019, developed by Our Watch, a not-for-profit organisation established by the Australian Government (Our Watch, n.d.).
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2025) defines domestic violence as violence occurring between current or former intimate partners. Family violence refers to violence taking place between family members, such as that occurring between parents and children, siblings, intimate partners, carers or co-residents. Violence can be of a physical, sexual or emotional nature. Research has identified culture as a primary factor causing domestic violence. Specifically, this refers to any culture with oppressive practices condoning violence against women, as well as those that have historically put women in subordinate positions (Kuskoff and Parsell, 2019). Similarly, Our Watch (2019) states most violence against women and their children is caused by gender inequality. The organisation contends this is expressed in society through excusing or condoning violence against women, rigid gender norms (for men and women), men’s control over decisions, women lacking power privately and publicly, and men encouraging disrespect towards women amongst each other.
The news media is a powerful influence on perceptions of domestic violence (Uibu, 2021). Journalists therefore have a responsibility to report in a manner that upholds accurate and fair representations of violence against women. This means bringing awareness to the role of gender inequality, as a news media that condones violence against women also participates in a culture enabling domestic violence. The framing of news stories is important to presenting domestic violence as a gendered national (and sometimes international) issue, as opposed to independent incidents only affecting individuals. This is called thematic framing, where journalists provide the audience with greater context on the issue, incorporating information such as statistics to show the problem’s prevalence, input from advocates, researchers and victims, as well as policy responses from governments. A thematic framing helps audiences understand the causes of domestic violence on a societal level, as an issue caused by gender inequality, rather than implicitly or explicitly blaming victims and exonerating perpetrators.
The Our Watch (2019) guidelines warn journalists should not insinuate women are at fault for violence perpetrated against them. This includes information about who the victim was with, drugs or alcohol consumed, where they were, what they were doing, or how they may have ‘provoked’ the violence. Indeed, news media has a history of placing the onus of responsibility on women for the violence perpetrated against them. Not only does victim blaming rhetoric ignore the autonomy of men in perpetrating these crimes, blaming women individually also treats violence against women as an individual concern, not a national, cultural issue. This is a dangerous message to send into society as it suggests to men and women that violence is something that happens to ‘other people,’ not themselves or those they know. This means victim blaming language regarding women’s behaviour in public – such as what the woman was wearing, whether she was alone at night, or the amount of alcohol she consumed - is dangerously misleading as it suggests violence against women occurs in public by men unknown to them. This portrayal is inconsistent with the reality that perpetrators are more likely to already be known to their victims (Australian Government Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, 2024). Furthermore, omitting the relationship between the perpetrator and the victim can leave the audience to assume an assault was committed by an unknown person (Geddes, 2012), meaning journalists should name the relationship between the people involved where legally possible (Our Watch, 2019). Importantly, victim blaming in news stories can also impact the way victims see their own situations. This means continuous suggestions by the news media that women are at fault for their own situation could have dire consequences for the way victims perceive abuse and the support they seek.
Closely related to victim blaming is ignoring perpetrator responsibility. The Our Watch (2019) guidelines explain journalists should use active language to clearly position perpetrators as having committed the abuse. For example, the headline ‘Man Punches Woman’ is preferable to ‘Woman Punched,’ as it signals to the audience the violence was committed by a person, as opposed to an event merely happening to the victim. This also extends to including information about the perpetrator that exonerates them from the abuse. It is misleading and unfair to claim domestic violence was ‘driven by’ factors such as alcohol, drugs, mental health problems, stress, finances, culture, or the ‘burden’ of looking after a woman with a disability. The guidelines are clear these factors exacerbate violence, but do not cause it. Distancing perpetrators from their own actions is also shown in news reports that depict men as ‘just snapping,’ ‘losing control,’ or being ‘sparked’ by an argument or event. This language implies domestic violence is within the remit of understandable, and almost normal, reactions. Additionally, news reports using this language are inaccurate as research indicates 80 per cent of men who murdered their partners did so after a history of perpetrating abuse (Our Watch, 2019). Ultimately, the media can influence how perpetrators see their own behaviour, as well as any support services they may access. It is therefore critical journalists avoid presenting perpetrators as without responsibility for their own violence.
The news media’s reporting of domestic violence also has an impact on women experiencing compounding disadvantage, such as Indigenous women. This group experiences greater challenges in seeking help and accessing services due to the impacts of colonisation, racism, dispossession, intergenerational trauma, forced child removal, and poverty (Rodrigues and Baker, 2023). Indigenous women are five times more likely to be the victim of physical violence, and three times more likely to experience sexual violence compared to other Australian women (Rodrigues and Baker, 2023). Not only do Indigenous women suffer domestic violence at greater rates, but these stories are also neglected in the Australian media, leading to a lack of visibility. The news media has a responsibility to ensure trust is rebuilt with Indigenous people and the media, after a history of misrepresentation. Due to a history of state-sanctioned violence, many Indigenous women distrust government agencies and fear having their children taken from them (Rodrigues and Baker, 2023). This distrust extends to the media.
The Our Watch (2019) guidelines offer advice for best practice reporting of violence against Indigenous women. Journalists should be careful not to attribute violence to Indigeneity or perpetuate stereotypes in their reporting. For example, journalists should not emphasise the role of alcohol in a crime perpetrated by an Indigenous man, or stereotype and victim blame an Indigenous woman for consumption of alcohol around the abuse. Crucially, journalists should refrain from assuming the perpetrator’s ethnicity. To do so is racist as perpetrators of violence against Indigenous women are also non-Indigenous and are mostly responsible in urban areas.
While bringing attention to domestic violence experienced by Indigenous women is important, journalists must be careful not to unnecessarily refer to Indigeneity. Although Indigenous women experience intersectional disadvantage, violence against women is an issue that effects society as a whole; it is not an ‘Indigenous issue.’ Furthermore, the Our Watch (2019) guidelines state using identifiers unnecessarily perpetuates myths about the causes of violence. Journalists also need to exercise further caution in reporting on violence against Indigenous women, as they may be more readily identifiable within an Indigenous community. Ultimately, Indigenous women should have the opportunity to take back control over their own stories. Journalists can do this by building relationships with Indigenous people and using them as sources in stories about them.
The Our Watch (2019) guidelines provide useful general advice, however, journalists’ reporting of violence against women is still limited in practice. The way in which journalists find stories is influential on their coverage of violence against women. Journalists proactively covering the topic have more control over the way their stories are told, as there is space to choose case studies without legal limitations, as well as experts and advocates to comment. Journalists reporting reactively, however, to matters being heard in court, or incidents in which police have become involved, are more restricted in the information they can report. The Our Watch (2019) guidelines are limited in this respect as the details journalists are allowed to report on regarding legal matters varies across Australian states. The guidelines nonetheless state journalists are responsible for their own compliance with the law.
The legal system is prohibitive to some reporting on domestic violence. Thematic frames that help audiences understand the broader social issues in which domestic violence occurs is best practice reporting, however, reporting on stories reactively from the police or courts often cannot include this information. Uibu’s (2023) research into online news media covering domestic violence revealed news organisations are often cautious in these scenarios. The research found reporters avoid providing context, as this can risk prejudicing legal processes. The interview data showed some journalists believed they were misplaced to make a broader statement about the extent of domestic violence in our society, and another journalist said their organisation could face legal issues if their story suggested a perpetrator was found guilty before a court judgement was made.
As aforementioned, there is a misconception that murder resulting from domestic violence occurs suddenly. This is despite research showing 80 per cent of men who murdered their partners did so after a history of perpetrating abuse (Our Watch, 2019). Legal restrictions can prevent journalists from reporting matters before the court that precede homicides. This applies to restrictions regarding journalists reporting on family violence intervention order proceedings. If journalists are prohibited from reporting on intervention orders, as they are in the ACT (Blatchford and Morgan, 2020), this misses an opportunity to build public awareness about how women are forced to manage domestic violence in our society. Furthermore, lifting restrictions in cases resulting in homicide would allow greater public understanding, especially in response to misguided blame placed on victims for ‘failing’ to leave violent relationships.
The news media has a significant responsibility in shaping perceptions of domestic violence. The industry therefore has a role in reducing the attitudes that maintain gender inequality in our society. The news media can work towards this by being receptive to guidelines such as those produced by Our Watch (2019). Featuring prominently in these guidelines is the direction to eliminate victim blaming messaging, as well as representations exonerating perpetrators. Journalists also need to bring awareness of experiences of domestic violence from the perspectives of diverse groups such as Indigenous people. Despite the positive direction guidelines such as those produced by Our Watch (2019) take the media industry, journalists must carefully navigate legal restrictions.
References
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2023, March 15). Personal Safety, Australia. Australian Bureau of Statistics. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/crime-and-justice/personal-safety-australia/2021-22
Australian Government Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. (2024, August). Gender-based violence in Australia at a glance (August 2024). Australian Government Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. https://www.pmc.gov.au/resources/unlocking-the-prevention-potential/gender-based-violence-australia-glance-august-2024
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2025, February 28). Family, domestic and sexual violence. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. https://www.aihw.gov.au/family-domestic-and-sexual-violence/resources/fdsv-summary
Blatchford, A., & Morgan, J. (2020). Making violence against women (in)visible?: Restrictions on media reporting of intervention orders. Monash University Law Review, 46(1), 228–255.
Geddes, V. (2012). Love no longer pulls the trigger: Media reporting of violence against women. DVRCV Quarterly, 3/4, 23–25.
Kuskoff, E., & Parsell, C. (2019). Preventing Domestic Violence by Changing Australian Gender Relations: Issues and Considerations. Australian Social Work, 73(2), 227–235. https://doi-org.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/10.1080/0312407X.2019.1641529
Our Watch (2019). How to Report on Violence Against Women and their Children, Our Watch. https://www.ourwatch.org.au/media-reporting/resources/guidelines-for-reporting
Our Watch. (n.d.). About us: What we do. Our Watch. https://www.ourwatch.org.au/about-us/what-we-do
Rodrigues, U. M., & Baker, A. (2023). Australian Media, Intersectionality, and Reporting on Violence against Women from Diverse Backgrounds. In Reporting on Sexual Violence in the #MeToo Era (1st ed., Vol. 1, pp. 156–172). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003220411-13
Uibu, K. (2023). Constructive Messages in Australian Domestic Violence Online News Coverage and Guidelines for Improved Coverage. Journalism Practice, 17(5), 1009–1030. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2021.1950563