How We Report on Machista Violence Matters

A femicide perpetrated by a partner or ex-partner is news and reporting on sexist violence is critical—reporting on it responsibly, that is.

The reporting that we journalists do about these crimes could make the difference between life and death for many women in situations of vulnerability and risk. It is not "normal" for a man to murder his wife, girlfriend, friend or partner; nor is it normal that he kills her children to harm her. Yes, femicide takes place frequently, but it is not behavior we should consider normal. Yet, too often, media coverage suggests that this form of violence is to be expected and typically excludes a profound look at the root causes of feminicide. On top of this, reporting on gender violence frequently reinforces stereotypes.

Journalists have a critical role to play that goes far beyond outlining details. Those of us who practice journalism have a responsibility to make it clear that sexist violence is a violation of human rights, as the United Nations has declared and affirmed for years. It is a public issue that requires urgent multidimensional attention. And it is preventable, not inevitable.

For years in Puerto Rico, we have lived in a state of emergency over femicide, an epidemic that was officially recognized in an executive order by Governor Pedro Pierluisi on January 25th of this year. Feminist organizations, such as the Colectiva Feminista en Construcción, led protests since November 2018 to secure this order and the allocation of resources to address this social crisis.

In 2020, the Gender Equity Observatory of Puerto Rico recorded 58 femicides, and 29, so far, in 2021 —cases that have been classified according to the Latin American Protocol Model for Investigation of Violent Deaths of Women for Reasons of Gender (femicide / feminicide). These numbers, and the toll they are taking, are alarming.

The murder of Andrea Ruiz Costas, whose partially burned body was found on April 29th in a town in central Puerto Rico, and to which her ex-partner Miguel Ocasio Santiago confessed, as well as the femicide of Keishla Rodríguez Ortiz, for which Félix Verdejo, a public figure in the island, was arrested, have forced a new round of reflection on how we report.

“In these cases, sensationalism, the exploitation of pain, and violations of human dignity were, once again, the compass that guided television and digital media coverage”

In these cases, sensationalism, the exploitation of pain, and violations of human dignity were, once again, the compass that guided television and digital media coverage. The hourly meddling of journalists at the home where Keishla Rodríguez Ortiz's family was waiting for news about her whereabouts, the focus of cameras on her body as she was pulled out of the lagoon into which she was thrown to die, as well as the comments about the type of relationship she had with the man who killed her, are just a few examples of this coverage. Television outlets opted for a criminal legal framing, sometimes using lawyers who have served as defenders of male aggressors, and sidestepped explanations of the root causes of male violence.

Audiences have the right to demand fair, responsible reporting devoid of a machista lens. The "it has always been done this way" has to stop being a justification for shoddy coverage.

We can, and must, do better by educating ourselves.

Journalist Laura Moscoso reminds us that, just as we extensively learned about coronaviruses and vaccines, hurricanes and earthquakes, that it is urgent that we understand gender violence as an issue that requires empathy, deep expertise and hours of continuous education. This work must include the recognition, by journalists, that human dignity is a fundamental human right, one that transcends life itself. This means that, even in death, we must refer to a person’s memory with dignity and respect.

We must also avoid victim blaming. Victims don’t look to be killed. No matter where they were, what time it was, what they had done or what kind of relationship they had, nothing justifies them being killed. But coverage tends to excuse perpetrators, clean up their profiles and then provide them with a microphone to amplify their supposed justifications. This, as the victims they blame for their actions and whose memory they tarnish will never be able to defend themselves.

It is not uncommon to see reporting that blames victims for "having put up with it," for "not getting away on time," for "not asking for help." Other times, they are blamed for violence because they ended the relationship and started another with someone else. This is unadulterated machismo, sometimes obvious, other times subtle and implicit, but always present because it's normalized. For this reason, we need intensive education to excise it from journalism.

“Neighbors are not reliable sources, as feminist journalists around the world have reminded”

Media coverage of femicide often leaves out the context that only persons working with victims and survivors of sexist violence can give us. These experts should occupy the space usually given to neighbors when a reported murder has taken place in a home the victim and aggressor shared. Neighbors are not reliable sources, as feminist journalists around the world have reminded.

Experts are the ones who can explain precisely why leaving a violent relationship is difficult and that it's not for anyone to judge why a woman has been unable to do so. In addition to including appropriate experts and context, journalists should also inform and remind audiences, which include women at risk and their relatives, that help is available.

In Puerto Rico, feminist journalists Norma Valle and Firuzeh Shokooh Valle edited Coverage of Gender Violence Cases in Puerto Rico, a guide for reporters and communications professionals produced by Coordinadora Paz para la Mujer and also edited by professor Ada Álvarez Conde. This is not the only resource. A simple Web search will yield other guides, tutorials, examples of good practices and manuals developed in newsrooms and other spaces. With these tools, there is no excuse for avoiding best practices.

If we commit as journalists to unlearn the machismo that is pervasive in society, we can eliminate the stereotypes that have been normalized in reports about femicides. We can help save lives.

Translated by Juana Ponce de León.