Encore News Media Sucks at Violence Reporting. How can media also heal?

Long-time health, science and technology journalist Jane Stevens joins PACEs Connection CEO Ingrid Cockhren to do a deep dive into why people aren’t getting an accurate picture about violence in their communities. In fact, the state of violence reporting boils down to this: the news media is unintentionally providing misinformation about violence. Remarkably, the basics of crime reporting haven’t changed much since the late 1890s. Essentially, it’s the man-bites-dog approach: the unusual, not the normal. Case in point: Although domestic violence causes comprises most aggravated assault and causes the most damage to communities in the U.S. economically and emotionally, it’s hardly reported. Yet, in many communities, up to one-third of the operating budget goes to dealing with domestic violence and its consequences. The irony is that although change is journalism’s bread and butter, getting the journalism community to modernize is like moving a mountain with a spoon and a bucket. We discuss how the news media can jettison their old ways by integrating knowledge of the science of positive and adverse childhood experiences and, in the process, provide an accurate picture of violence in their communities, reduce and prevent violence, help reduce systemic racism and its effects, and significantly increase their readership.