Specialized Media and Outreach Venues
There are hundreds of national organizations that represent victims’ rights and issues, as well as criminal/juvenile justice and allied professionals for whom crime victims’ concerns are a part of their overall missions. Most of them sponsor broadcast programming, paper-based publications, Web sites, and listservs. In addition, many journals regularly publish scholarly papers and articles related to crime and victimization.
Many of these outreach venues accept external submissions for publication and provide current news to their constituents. They often reach targeted audiences to whom a specific victim-related message can be directed, and can be an important component of general media outreach activities.
- a. Organization newsletters and magazines are published in both paper and electronic formats. They feature news and feature stories, calendars of events, book reviews, and regular columns with information and resources available (usually at no cost) to their members.
- b. Web sites are today the most popular organizational venue for member and public information and outreach. They provide general information about an organization’s mission and goals; programs and services; current activities and events; major public policy initiatives; and often calendars of events. Many Web sites have extensive libraries that are great resources for victim advocates, and “bulletin boards” that allow visitors to post, share, and receive information about timely issues. Some sponsor “Web forums” that are basically “electronic classrooms” to facilitate online teaching, training, and information exchange. Most Web sites also include electronic hyperlinks to other organizations that share their interests, and can be contacted to create a link to victim assistance organizations.
- c. Listservs and e-groups provide information to targeted audiences on a regularly-scheduled basis via the Internet. Some are a benefit of a paid membership, while others are free to anybody. Most managers of listservs seek timely information that is relevant to their members, and are a great source for information sharing.
The “Resources” section of this guide features Web addresses for key national victim assistance, justice-related, and journalism organizations. Many include listings of their key publications and outreach tools, and can be directly contacted for more specific information.
