Poynter's News University and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center Launch E-Learning Course That Teaches Reporting on Sexual Violence

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Feb. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Poynter Institute's News University (https://www.newsu.org) announced today it has teamed up with the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (http://nsvrc.org) to create a free, self-directed course for journalists, educators and the public on how to cover the complex topic of sexual violence. The course will help journalists go beyond conventional reporting to help audiences learn more about the reality of sexual violence, and will help them cover the topic with context, accuracy and sensitivity.

"Statistics show that twenty percent of the population will experience sexual violence during their lifetime," said Tracy Cox, communications director, National Sexual Violence Resource Center. "With numbers that high, it's imperative that journalists, journalism students and educators have a clear and accurate understanding of sexual violence, where to obtain credible information and how to help news consumers understand its impact."

The free massive online open course (or MOOC), called "Reporting on Sexual Violence," https://www.newsu.org/courses/reporting-sexual-violence will teach journalists how to report on sexual violence in a factual, trustworthy manner; how to generate story ideas that go beyond crime reports; and how to help audiences understand the impact of sexual violence and engage them in prevention efforts. Participants will also obtain facts and statistics about sexual violence, such types of abuse, who is affected and forms of vulnerability and victimization. They will learn the role that video, photographs and audio play in telling stories about sexual violence, as well as how to eliminate bias from reporting and dispel commonly-held myths on the topic.

"We are delighted to be working with NSVRC to offer this valuable training," said Vicki Krueger, director of interactive learning at The Poynter Institute. "It's an exciting opportunity for Poynter to use its e-learning platform on NewsU to help journalists, educators and anyone interested in this timely topic."

"Reporting on Sexual Violence" https://www.newsu.org/courses/reporting-sexual-violence is the latest Massive Online Open Course (or MOOC) available at Poynter's NewsU and is funded by a grant from NSVRC. The course takes two to three hours to complete and participants can work through it on their own schedules. For more information on this course, please visit https://www.newsu.org/courses/reporting-sexual-violence.

About Poynter's News University

Poynter's News University (http://www.newsu.org) offers the world's largest online journalism curriculum, with more than 250 interactive courses and 240,000 students in 225 countries.

The Poynter Institute for Media Studies is an international leader in journalism education, and a strategy center that stands for uncompromising excellence in journalism, media and 21st century public discourse. Poynter faculty teach at seminars and workshops at the Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla., and at conferences and organizational sites around the world. The Institute's website, Poynter.org (http://www.poynter.org), produces 24-hour coverage of news about media, ethics, technology, the business of news and the trends that currently define and redefine journalism news reporting. The world's top journalists and media innovators come to Poynter to learn – and to teach new generations of reporters, storytellers, media inventors, designers, visual journalists, documentarians and broadcast producers, and to build public awareness about journalism, media and the First Amendment-protected discourse that ensures public good and the democracy that serves it. 

About the National Sexual Violence Resource Center

Founded by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape in 2000, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) (http://www.nsvrc.org/) identifies, develops and disseminates resources regarding all aspects of sexual violence prevention and intervention. NSVRC activities include training and technical assistance, referrals, consultation, systems advocacy, resource library, capacity-building, integrating research findings with community-based projects, coordinating Sexual Assault Awareness Monthco-sponsoring national conferences and events, and creating web-based and social networking resources.

CONTACT

Vicki Krueger, Director, Interactive Learning, The Poynter Institute
[email protected], 727-821-9494 

Jessica Blais, Director of Marketing, The Poynter Institute
[email protected], 727-821-9494

Tracy Cox, Director of Communications, National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC)
[email protected]

SOURCE Poynter's News University