Australian Media Bosses Urged to Overhaul GBV Reporting Standards

Sydney — Newsroom leaders and editors have been challenged to take greater responsibility for changing the way domestic, family, sexual and gender-based violence is reported amid concerns that commercial pressures and the race for digital engagement can fuel sensationalist coverage.

The call is contained in a national media roundtable report released on September 2 following a meeting convened in Australia by the Federal Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission, the Office of the New South Wales (NSW) Women’s Safety Commissioner and Our Watch.

The August 5 roundtable brought together more than 60 participants, including media and regulatory leaders, journalists, researchers, practitioners, government representatives and people with lived experience, to examine how reporting on domestic, family, sexual and other forms of gender-based violence (DFSV/GBV) could be strengthened while maintaining press freedom.

At the centre of the discussions was the argument that improving reporting cannot be left to individual reporters, with participants calling for a coordinated approach involving media organisations, editors, regulators, governments, specialist organisations and victim-survivors.

The report said responsible reporting could help victims and survivors, challenge harmful attitudes and contribute to preventing gender-based violence, while poorly handled coverage could deepen harm and undermine prevention efforts.

“The media plays an important role in shaping how Australians understand domestic, family, sexual and GBV, and in contributing to the national effort to prevent it,” said a joint statement by Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin, NSW Women’s Safety Commissioner Dr Hannah Tonkin and Our Watch chief executive officer Patty Kinnersly.

“When reporting is accurate, trauma-informed and respectful, it can support victim-survivors, challenge harmful attitudes and help prevent GBV," reads the statement.

The report, however, warned that reporting which lacks context, reinforces stereotypes or compromises the dignity and safety of victims and survivors can compound harm and undermine prevention efforts.

Participants placed particular emphasis on the role of senior newsroom figures, noting that editors and other leaders generally influence headlines, framing and broader editorial decisions.

The report said traditional notions of what makes a story newsworthy could sometimes conflict with trauma-informed reporting, while commercial pressures, newsroom culture and the pursuit of digital engagement could contribute to sensationalist coverage.

Participants called for stronger editorial leadership and newsroom cultures that encourage collaboration, ethical decision-making and responsible reporting.

Some of the national media roundtable  participants speaking. Video Source: Our Watch.

They also urged media organisations to put greater emphasis on public-interest journalism, violence prevention and responsible reporting instead of clicks, sensationalism and incident-driven coverage.

One participant summed up the importance of leadership.

“Changing culture has a huge impact, and it’s important to address the leaders in newsrooms, senior journos, news directors and chiefs of staff, but in a collaborative way,” said the participant.

The discussions also raised concerns over the legal environment surrounding reporting, particularly journalists’ understanding of defamation, contempt, privacy, identification restrictions and other legal obligations.

Participants said better legal literacy was needed among journalists, editors, governments and victim-survivors to ensure people could understand the restrictions that may affect how cases are reported and how survivors can tell their stories.

The report also raised concerns that some legal mechanisms could have unintended consequences for people with lived experience, including claims that perpetrators could misuse defamation laws and other legal processes as a form of coercive control, particularly in sexual violence cases.

Informed consent was identified as particularly important, with participants arguing that victim-survivors should be better supported to understand their rights before engaging with the media.

The issue extended beyond individual cases to the wider regulatory system, with participants describing Australia's media regulation as complex and difficult to navigate.

One participant bluntly described the legal framework situation as "broken... fragmented, messy and confusing.”

The report said some participants considered existing best-practice guidelines insufficient because they were not enforceable, while others raised concerns about limited consequences for harmful reporting and the burden placed on victim-survivors to lodge complaints.

There were calls for a more cohesive national approach, with complaint mechanisms that are accessible and transparent, stronger consequences for breaches and clearer communication of complaint outcomes to newsrooms so that lessons could be incorporated into future reporting.

Participants also argued that meaningful improvement would require sustained investment rather than isolated training initiatives.

The report identified media organisations, regulators, governments, specialist organisations and people with lived experience as key players in a long-term reform process, while recognising that editors and journalists could make immediate improvements within their own organisations.

Government was urged to support a nationally coordinated, evidence-based media initiative on Gender Based Violence, including training, research, evaluation and practical support for journalists covering violence.

“We need an evidence-informed coordinated (and funded) program of work that can go the distance,” one participant said.

A major shift advocated in the report was moving away from coverage that focuses almost exclusively on individual incidents towards reporting that examines why violence occurs and what can be done to prevent it.

Participants called for journalism that is survivor-centred, trauma-informed and evidence-based, with greater attention paid to the dignity, safety and agency of people affected by violence.

The report also said victim-survivors and families should have greater control over how their experiences are used in stories, while journalists should consider ongoing consent, explain their processes and legal obligations, and be transparent about fact-checking and how stories will be presented.

Participants also suggested that news organisations consider delaying the publication of the names and photographs of homicide victims for between 24 and 48 hours to allow families time to be notified.

Children, the report said, should be recognised as victim-survivors in their own right.

At the same time, participants urged journalists to scrutinise perpetrators’ behaviour, patterns of abuse and accountability without excusing, minimising or glorifying violence.

They raised concern that stories which focus heavily on a perpetrator's status, achievements or perceived good character could diminish the experiences of victims and survivors and weaken accountability.

The proposed changes also have a strong diversity and inclusion dimension.

Participants warned that media coverage can reinforce racism and harmful assumptions about minority communities, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and multicultural communities.

They called for stronger anti-racist, intersectional and culturally responsive approaches, alongside reporting that reflects the different experiences of communities affected by violence.

One participant said reporting on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and LGBTQI people was “either absent or is victim-blaming.”

The report ultimately stopped short of presenting the discussions as a single agreed programme of action, stressing that it captured the varied perspectives, challenges and opportunities raised during the roundtable rather than a consensus among all participants.

Its conclusion, however, was clear that sustainable improvement would require cooperation across the entire media ecosystem.

The meeting three co-convenors encouraged media organisations, journalists, editors and other partners to scale up efforts under Australia's Second Action Plan of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032.

“Success will require the support of governments and specialist organisations, as well as commitment and action across the broader media ecosystem.

“Collectively, we can harness the power of media reporting to help put an end to GBV in our community," the report said.