The Media Guides for Reporting on Child Sexual Abuse Project

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 09:12:05 GMT

Guidance for media, victims and survivors

Content Warning: This report discusses child sexual abuse. This means that some of the information may be confronting, triggering or cause distress – particularly if you have been impacted by violence, abuse and trauma. If you or someone you know is feeling overwhelmed, distressed or in crisis, there is help available at https://www.childsafety.gov.au/support-services

~ LOUD fence is proud to have been part of the process of creating these Media Guides.

Project Summary

News media are one of the few ways the public have to understand the topic of child sexual abuse. When done well, reporting can inform public understanding, increase community awareness, educate and convey the views and experiences of those impacted by child sexual abuse. If not treated appropriately, news stories also have the power to reinforce stereotypes and cause further harm, stigma and trauma.

In June 2022, the National Office for Child Safety at the Attorney-General’s Department commissioned the University of Canberra’s News & Media Research Centre to develop evidence‑based media guides to encourage responsible reporting on child sexual abuse, and a companion guide for victims and survivors engaging with the media (the Guides). These evidence-based Guides have been developed in consultation with key stakeholders from media, child safety sectors and victims and survivors. They are underpinned by the principle that news media should approach the reporting of child sexual abuse with trust, choice, collaboration, empowerment and respect for diversity, and that victims and survivors should be educated, equipped and supported to liaise productively and safely with media.

The Guides have been developed through:

Review of academic literature on the role of media in reporting on and shaping public understanding of child sexual abuse;
Review of existing media guidelines and guides for people with lived experience on related topics such as mental health, violence against women and child abuse, noting there are currently no specific guidelines for media reporting on child sexual abuse in Australia;
Qualitative and quantitative analysis of two years’ news media reporting from April 2020-March 2022 across print, broadcast and online media to identify key features and trends in media reporting;
Consultation with a wide range of stakeholders including people with lived experience, media professionals, and advocacy organisations. The team first sought formative feedback through a survey, workshops and interviews, which was synthesised with the review of academic literature, guidelines review and media analysis to develop the draft Guides. The team then conducted further consultation to refine the draft Guides to ensure they were informed by the voices and views of victims and survivors, advocates, and media professionals. Over 100 participants in 28 online and in-person workshops, small consultations and individual meetings contributed thoughtful, impassioned and practical feedback.

After the Silence Report

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 04:58:51 GMT

Media Reporting of Child Sexual Abuse in the wake of a Royal Commission.

INTRODUCTION TO THE BREAKING SILENCES: MEDIA AND THE CHILD ABUSE ROYAL COMMISSION PROJECT

The Breaking Silences team

This report provides a snapshot of the wide-ranging work that has been undertaken for the Breaking Silences: Media and the Child Abuse Royal Commission project. Funded by an Australian Research Council Discovery Projects grant (DP190101282), over the past four years the Breaking Silences team has been researching the role of journalism and social media advocacy in triggering, reporting on, and keeping alive the recommendations of the ground- breaking Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (2013-17) (RCIRCSA).

2022 marks a decade since Julia Gillard called Australia’s largest-ever Royal Commission, and five years since the Commission’s final report was handed down. While much has been written about the RCIRCSA and its outcomes, this is the first project to closely examine its mediation.

The RCIRCSA took place at a time of profound change in the global media landscape and afforded new opportunities to bear witness to previous silenced voices. Digital technology enabled an unprecedented flow of information into, and out of, the Commission and around the world, while commitment from major news outlets ensured the RCIRCSA dominated the news agenda for its five years.

As a team we were inspired to interrogate the media activity of survivor advocacy organisations that triggered and shaped the Commission’s outcomes, the organisational structures that enabled this ‘mediatised’ Royal Commission, as well as the reporting from national and local newsrooms.

The Breaking Silences: Media and the Child Abuse Royal Commission project was funded by the Australian Research Council (DP190101282). For more information, visit http://breakingsilences.net.

loud-fence

The Media Guides for Reporting on Child Sexual Abuse Project

Guidance for media, victims and survivors

After the Silence Report

Media Reporting of Child Sexual Abuse in the wake of a Royal Commission.