You Be the Editor: A Three-Year Study of Student Journalists and the Rape Victim Identification Debate

A study, framed by the basic research and course discussion questions in the Newswriting and Reporting course at the University of Iowa's School of Journalism and Mass Communication, asked whether rape/sexual assault victims should be named in the press and also examined how these future journalists might rewrite newsroom policy on naming names. The study was a 3-year, 6-course study of 92 reporting students; 56 were female and 36 were male, and the majority were under the age of 30. Findings suggest that future journalists are already addressing the rape victim identification dilemmas outlined by scholars such as Helen Benedict, Jay Black, Carol Oukrop, and others. The study showed that students are familiar with the identification issues and with policy arguments both for and against publication of rape victim identities. They are also privy to the rape myths that Helen Benedict outlines in "Virgin or Vamp: How the Press Covers Sex Crimes." Nearly 70% of students surveyed (50% of males and 78% of females) said that rape victims can be identified but only if the victim asks to be named or consents to be named, is well known, or has been murdered. (Contains seven tables of data and 26 footnotes.) (NKA)