The Ethical Journalism Network will be hosting a panel discussion for journalists on Tuesday November 24 at 1400 GMT, offering tips on how to report responsibly on domestic violence.
Our panellists will share their insights into the roles and responsibilities journalists have in overturning stereotypes, using appropriate language, as well as giving context and resources to this subject which is often misreported.
We will also discuss the increased risk of domestic violence during the global pandemic, how what journalists can do to continue reporting on this issue and show how it is one of control and not Covid.
Panellists are domestic abuse campaigners David Challen and Janey Starling, UN Women’s Acting Head of Communications and Advocacy Oisika Chakrabati and Shaista Aziz, Head of Media and Communications at Solace Women’s Aid (please see below for more information about the panellists). The event will be on Zoom at this link, and will be moderated by EJN director Hannah Storm.
Biographies of panellists:
David Challen is a domestic abuse campaigner and keynote speaker. He successfully campaigned to free his mother Sally Challen in a landmark appeal recognising the lifetime of coercive control she suffered in February 2019. David continues to speak out against violence against women, coercive control and recognising women’s experiences in the criminal justice system. David is a Prison Advice and Care Ambassador (PACT) and a Freedom Programme Ambassador
Shaista Aziz is Head of Media and Communications at Solace Women’s Aid. A journalist, writer, and a national anti-racism and equalities campaigner, she is a proud intersectional feminist. As a former aid worker, she has worked across East and West Africa, the Middle East and Pakistan, working with people displaced by conflict, ‘natural’ disasters and insecurity. She works closely with women experiencing domestic abuse and homelessness across the UK and is a homeless rights campaigner.
Janey Starling is the co-director of feminist campaigning organisation Level Up, which developed the UK’s first media guidelines and trainings for reporting on fatal domestic abuse.
Oisika Chakrabati is the Acting Chief of Communications and Advocacy at UN Women. Currently based in New York, she is a communications strategist with more than two decades of international experience in senior roles at the United Nations, broadcast and print journalism, and public advocacy for NGOs.
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