A call to action Shaping the public conversation Domestic and family violence, in all is a The Special Taskforce on Domestic and Family violation of basic human rights. Everyone, Violence in Queensland regardless of their sex, religion, nationality, race, provided its report, Not language, relationship, or living arrangements, has Now, Not Ever: Putting an End to Domestic and the right to feel safe, and be safe, in public and at Family Violence in home. Domestic and family violence must not be Queensland (Not Now, accepted or excused. Not Ever report) to the Premier and Minister for Journalists can play a powerful role in helping to build a society the Arts in February 2015. where fewer people find excuses for violent behaviour, fewer people blame victims, and where all members of the community The report contains 140 are informed and empowered to take action to stop domestic and recommendations and family violence. With more media reporting on the issue and more outlines a framework for a public discussion, Queenslanders can be challenged to rethink their vision all attitudes towards domestic and family violence. Queenslanders can live free from domestic and However, journalists are often faced with difficult questions about family violence. whether to report and how to report on this important social issue. The Government accepted This media guide is a resource to support journalists in reporting on all 121 Government based domestic and family violence incidents. But it is more than that. recommendations and This guide outlines some of the key issues we still face in changing supported the 19 community attitudes towards domestic and family violence and seeks the media’s support in tackling these issues. recommendations. The Queensland Government recognises that domestic and family In acknowledgement of the violence occurs in a range of relationships but for the purposes of influential role media has in this guide and in recognition of the gendered nature of the issue, shaping community some examples in this guide may reference victims as female and perceptions on the issue, the perpetrators as male. Taskforce recommended the development of a media guide (recommendation 70). Community attitudes
A call to action Shaping the public conversation Domestic and family violence, in all is a violation of basic human rights. Everyone, regardless of their sex, religion, nationality, race, language, relationship, or living arrangements, has the right to feel safe, and be safe, in public and at home. Domestic and family violence must not be accepted or excused. Journalists can play a powerful role in helping to build a society where fewer people find excuses for violent behaviour, fewer people blame victims, and where all members of the community are informed and empowered to take action to stop domestic and family violence. With more media reporting on the issue and more public discussion, Queenslanders can be challenged to rethink their attitudes towards domestic and family violence. However, journalists are often faced with difficult questions about whether to report and how to report on this important social issue. This media guide is a resource to support journalists in reporting on domestic and family violence incidents. But it is more than that. This guide outlines some of the key issues we still face in changing community attitudes towards domestic and family violence and seeks the media’s support in tackling these issues. The Queensland Government recognises that domestic and family violence occurs in a range of relationships but for the purposes of this guide and in recognition of the gendered nature of the issue, some examples in this guide may reference victims as female and perpetrators as male. The Special Taskforce on Domestic and Family Violence in Queensland provided its report, Not Now, Not Ever: Putting an End to Domestic and Family Violence in Queensland (Not Now, Not Ever report) to the Premier and Minister for the Arts in February 2015. The report contains 140 recommendations and outlines a framework for a vision all Queenslanders can live free from domestic and family violence. The Government accepted all 121 Government based recommendations and supported the 19 recommendations. In acknowledgement of the influential role media has in shaping community perceptions on the issue, the Taskforce recommended the development of a media guide (recommendation 70). Community attitudes
domestic-family-violence-media-guide.docx