Violence and justice in journalism
“When the myths and lies that feed fearsome acts go unchallenged, those myths and lies go from expedient to embedded in language and culture.” - Bruce Shapiro, 2025
A couple of years ago Tim Dunlop commissioned me to write a piece about the structural deficiencies in Australian journalism that creates dire reporting on gender based violence.
I was reminded of that piece this morning as I listened to Bruce Shapiro’s lecture on The Spectacle of Fearsome Acts: Violence, Journalism and the Democratic Future.
Shapiro is the executive director of the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma at the Columbia Journalism School. He took a wide view on violence in the lecture, from the intimate terrorism of child sexual abuse and domestic violence to the structural violence of authoritarianism, war and ethnic cleansing. Some forms of violence he talked about are outside the scope of what I typically write about in Fixed It but all of them have the same root cause – dehumanisation of people who become the victims of violence.
“All good reporting refuses the siren song of dehumanisation, which grants permission to perpetrators of atrocity, whether in the intimate sphere of childhood abuse and sexual violence, the shadow economy of human trafficking, or the public stage of war.”
Bruce Shapiro, 2025
Shapiro also talked about the redemptive power of what he calls “narrative justice” and journalism’s role in humanising dehumanised people. George Floyd pleading for air ripped away the dehumanisation of racism to make him a person and his murder a vicious crime. Rosie Batty gave abused women a relatable, human face and in doing so, made them impossible to ignore. Journalists have tremendous power to create this narrative justice - when they choose to use it.
Power is always the doubled edged sword. In the lecture, Shapiro talked teaching about a group of students in Ukraine who assured him that Christian babies were being sacrificed in Satanic (code for Jewish) rituals not far from their own villages. This myth, the Blood Libel, has persisted in Europe for centuries and was perpetuated by early forms of tabloid journalism to stoke populism and antisemitic violence.
Myths that dehumanise the human targets of violence are necessary in structural oppression. Only the most sociopathic of us can commit or condone violence against people. Violence done to non-people is different, justifiable, even deserved if those labels dressed up in human clothing pose a threat to us or our children.
The slaughter and deliberate starvation of people is abhorrently unthinkable – unless they have become terrorists not people.
Imprisoning babies and ripping away the most basic protections of the law for people is unthinkable unless they are just illegal immigrants.
Rape is vile when it happens to good people but it’s not something we need to worry about if it’s just an allegation by a drunken slut or a lying bitch.
Domestic violence is a terrible scourge but only if it’s committed by a tattooed thug in a wife-beater not when accusations are turned against good blokes by man-hating feminazis who demonise our boys and cause male suicides.
“Good reporting refuses silence and stigma, validating the visibility, dignity and complicated paths of those who have survived trauma, whether at the hands of parents, clerics, corporations, police or armies.” - Bruce Shapiro, 2025
Journalists are not passive bystanders in the dehumanisation of human victims of violence. I’ve spent almost ten years documenting the structural, persistent dehumanisation of the women who are abused by violent men in Australia. This issue, however, is much bigger than ignorant, misleading and inaccurate headlines. It’s the structures of journalism in Australia that implicitly endorsement men’s violence against women by making it small and unimportant, the trivial hobby of angry feminists and wounded ideologues.
As I wrote in the piece for Tim, there is not a single news outlet in Australia – including the ABS and the Guardian – who has even one staff journalist specifically dedicated to reporting on gender based violence.
To put that in context, there are around 250 journalists in the federal press gallery and at least that many sports reporters in Australia.
I’m not ignoring the excellent work of people like ABC’s Hayley Gleeson but I am saying that even her expertise does not give her a dedicated role as a reporter on gender based violence. It’s a preference she has chosen, and it will disappear with her when she leaves the ABC. Award winning freelancers such as Amy McQuire, Jess Hill and Nina Funnell also do outstanding work – when they can find an editor who has the will and the budget to commission them. This impermanence does not happen to political or sports reporting because those positions are embedded in the structure of journalism. An expert sports reporter leaves and the hunt is immediately on to find someone with the experience and knowledge to replace them. The idea that any journalist could use basic skills to do the job of a senior AFL reporter is ridiculous.
Imagine what would happen if an editor sent a general news reporter with no experience in sports reporting to cover an AFL Grand Final. It would cause an uproar. No editor who wanted to keep his (yes, “his” was deliberate) job would even send an experienced NRL reporter to cover an AFL Grand Final. How could they do a half-way decent job without years of experience and a thorough knowledge of the rules and history of the game, the names and histories of all the major on-field and off-field players, and a play by play of at least the last five Grand Finals?
And yet, almost all reporting on men’s violence against women, children, themselves and each other come from general news reporters and this is built into the structures of journalism.
I started writing for publication in 2007 and in the nearly 20 years since then I’ve learned enough about gendered violence to know how much I still don’t know. I do, however, know enough to know that a journalist with no background, training or expert editorial guidance on gender based violence cannot possibly report well, accurately or usefully on the causes and effects of men’s violence. Any more than a news reporter who has never been to a football game could do a useful or interesting report on a Grand Final.
In lieu of useful or interesting reporting on violence, almost all reporting on this topic is riddled with repetitive, poorly understood, dehumanising jargon (the ubiquitous “victim-survivor” who is an experience not a person). The stories are so formulaic that, as I said to Tim two years ago, ChatGPT could do a better job than most general news journalists. To demonstrate the point, I sent him a semi-joking AI prompt: “Give me, in the style of the ABC, an article about domestic violence with a survivor story at the top, a truncated quote from a CEO of a structurally underfunded Not-For-Profit in the middle, some prevalence stats with no context at the end, and finish off with some generic helpline numbers.”
Tim pasted that into ChatGPT4 and honestly, the result is better than most reporting done by human journalists. If news outlets are not going to invest in knowledge and expertise in their reporting on violence, maybe they should get ChatGPT to take over. At least it would remember to include the helplines in every article.
**Title: "Rising From the Ashes: Domestic Violence Survivor Shares Her Journey Amidst Sector Struggles"**
[ABC-Style Byline: By Jane Doe, ABC]
As dawn breaks in Melbourne, Sarah Thompson (name changed to protect identity) starts her day with a steaming cup of coffee, a routine she adopted after reclaiming her life from the clutches of domestic violence. It's a symbol of her newfound peace, a stark contrast to the tumultuous storm she weathered not too long ago.
"Each morning, as I sit by my window, I'm reminded of my journey, of the life I left behind," Sarah shared, her voice wavering yet determined. "It was a life of constant fear, where I was walking on eggshells, constantly trying not to trigger him."
Sarah's harrowing experience with domestic violence is far from uncommon. But what makes her story resonate is her resilience, her determination to rebuild her life from scratch, and her desire to shed light on the struggles faced by countless others who are still trapped in similar circumstances.
Despite the horror, Sarah counts herself lucky. She found refuge with 'Hope Shelter', a not-for-profit organisation that provides support and assistance to victims of domestic violence. However, it's a lifeline that's increasingly under threat due to structural underfunding and other systemic issues.
At the heart of the 'Hope Shelter' is its CEO, Lisa McKenzie, who has been spearheading the fight against domestic violence. Amidst the crisis, she's fiercely advocating for increased funding and recognition of the issue at a systemic level.
"We are doing all we can, but without appropriate funding, there's only so much we can achieve," McKenzie expressed, her voice imbued with a mix of frustration and resolve.
But the stark reality of domestic violence goes beyond these individual stories. It's a deeply entrenched issue that demands immediate attention. The latest statistics paint a grim picture. In 2022 alone, 1 in 5 women reported experiencing domestic violence. However, these figures, as alarming as they are, remain devoid of context, masking the true depth and complexity of the issue.
These numbers, while stark, serve as a stark reminder of the urgent need for societal and systemic change. They underscore the importance of organisations like 'Hope Shelter' and the incredible work they do under strained conditions. But more importantly, they highlight the crucial role we all have to play in bringing this issue to the forefront and ensuring that victims like Sarah are not left unheard.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, there are several resources available:
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1800-RESPECT (1800 737 732)
- Safe Steps: 1800 015 188
- 1800RESPECT online chat: www.1800respect.org.au
Remember, help is just a call or click away. No one should ever have to suffer in silence.
[ABC-Style Sign Off: Jane Doe, ABC]
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Helplines
In an emergency, where you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call police on 000
If you want to ask for anonymous advice for yourself or someone you know, call one of the helplines listed below or talk to a trusted GP or nurse practitioner at your local medical centre.
1800RESPECT
24/7 support for people impacted by sexual assault, domestic and family violence and abuse.
Ph: 1800 737 732
www.1800respect.org.au
Sexual Assault Crisis Line
24/7 Support for victims of sexual assault
Ph: 1800 806 292
www.sacl.com.au
Full Stop Australia
24/7 National violence and abuse trauma counselling and recovery service
Ph: 1800 385 578
www.fullstop.org.au
Men’s Referral Service
24/7 Support for men who use violence and abuse.
Ph: 1300 766 491
www.ntv.org.au/get-help/
Blue Knot Foundation
Phone counselling for adult survivors of childhood trauma, their friends, family and the health care professionals who support them. Available between 9am and 5pm, every day.
Ph: 1300 657 380
www.blueknot.org.au
Lifeline
24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention services.
Ph: 13 11 14
www.lifeline.org.au
Suicide Call Back Service
24/7 suicide prevention support
Ph: 1300 659 467
www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au