Recounting the details of violence and abuse are an essential element for criminal and civil investigations; equally as important are the ways in which media outlets cover stories of both physical and online abuse and violence. When survivors tell stories of technology-facilitated abuse, their accounts are frequently minimized or dismissed because of the perception that violence occurring in the digital sphere is not that serious or that nothing can be done. Unfortunately, many survivors share how their stories of harassment and abuse are not taken seriously or inaccurately recounted when passed along in the criminal justice process or in media coverage. When fact finders, criminal justice professionals, and media fail to center the experience of survivors in their investigations and reportage, criminal and civil cases can become weakened; and public opinion can create everything from hopelessness to increased sense of danger for survivors. This podcast, featuring Soraya Chomali of Women’s Media Center, focuses on the importance of survivors’ storytelling to better aid the fact finding and investigative process; and, to provide more accurate media coverage.

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