This information has been compiled by journalist, trauma researcher, and Pickup Communications founder Tamara Cherry. Echo Training has compiled an excellent list of questions for survivors to ask journalists. You can find it on our Resources page.
My loved one has just passed away. Why does the media want to speak with me?
When someone is the victim of a homicide or traffic fatality, there is can be a lot of interest in the case from the media, particularly in the immediate aftermath. Journalists reporting on such incidents are often after three things: A narrative that can explain what happened (this often comes from investigators and eye witnesses), reaction from the community (people who live near the scene of the incident) and a profile of the victim (this is where you come in). By speaking with you, the journalist will be able to tell a story that goes beyond the statistics: Your loved one was not, for example, simply “Homicide #22” or “the 12th traffic fatality of the year.” More often than not, the media simply wants to learn what your loved one was like and your reaction to what has happened.
If you were a witness to what happened, journalists may want to know more. This is something you should discuss with your investigative team before proceeding.
Is it a good idea to speak with the media?
Whether or not you choose to engage with the media is a personal choice and one that should be yours to make. Bottom line: If you don’t want to talk to reporters, you shouldn’t. If you do want to talk, there are some things you should consider.
In the immediate aftermath of a traumatic event, and indeed for weeks, months or even years down the road, your brain may play tricks on you. It may make you think that you saw something you didn’t actually see; it may make you remember things in an incorrect order; it may make it very difficult for you to verbalize your narrative. You may also be exhausted from lack of sleep and/or a whirlwind of emotions. Or, you may be completely numbed by shock. If you are experiencing this sort of ‘brain on trauma,’ it may be a good idea to have a trusted friend or family member speak on your behalf, or release a written statement (see below) instead. Or, you may want to tell the reporter(s) that you will revisit the idea of speaking at a later date.
When considering whether you want to engage with the media, think about what you would like to get from it. If you are only speaking publicly to make the media go away, it probably isn’t a good idea and may cause you further harm. If you would like to highlight an issue, tell the world about your loved one, or set the story straight, it may be a positive experience for you, particularly if the journalist is trauma-informed (you can request that they read these tips ahead of time) and is willing to grant you some control in the storytelling process.
You should never feel rushed or pressured to speak with the media and should only do so if and when you are ready.
What questions should I ask ahead of time?
Before agreeing to an interview, it is a good idea to set some ground rules. You should have control over where and when the interview takes place (somewhere you feel safe and will be less likely to be overwhelmed by negative emotions), what support people, pets, or objects you have present (think about people or things that can calm you down or bring you comfort when you are distressed), and what sorts of questions will be asked. Here are some questions you may want to ask the reporter before agreeing to an interview:
What questions will be asked? Where will my interview appear? How much of the interview will be used? Will I have a chance to review the story before it is published or broadcast? Who else do you plan on interviewing? What sorts of images will be shown in the story? If I agree to speak with you, will I have more reporters requesting an interview? Until what point can I withdraw my consent? If I change my mind down the road, can you have the story removed from your website? What would a story without my participation look like?
What questions will be asked in an interview about my deceased loved one?
First, as noted above, it is important to know that you can ask reporters what questions you will be asked. Some will agree to provide questions; others will not. You may choose to do an interview or not based on what questions will be asked and/or what control the reporter is willing to provide you. Based on the questions provided, you may decide ahead of time if there are any questions you are uncomfortable answering, and request that the reporter not ask those questions. You may also request that the reporter ask you about something they didn’t already think about. Should you not be provided a list of questions, here are some common points you can expect:
The most common question will be, “Tell me about your loved one. What was he or she like?” Think of what you want the public to know about your loved one and write down some notes ahead of time. Did he or she love a particular activity? Were they known for something at school, work, in your family or in the community? What made them special to you? You may also be asked something like, “What do you think of what happened to them?” This may sound crass and the answer may be obvious, but it is better for the reporter to hear it from you than for the reporter to assume what you are thinking. Maybe you are angry or sad or confused or fed up. Maybe you are a combination of all these things or something else all together. The reporter will likely want to make your story relatable to others who are not in your circumstance. If you were a witness to what happened, you may be asked to go through the sequence of events. Discuss this with your investigative team or Pickup Communications consultant beforehand. There may be areas you will want to avoid so as not to jeopardize the integrity of the investigation.
Where can I expect to encounter the media?
The media may knock at your door, call your home phone or send you an email, text message or message through social media. You may encounter the media at the scene of where the crime happened, at the funeral home on the day of the service or visitation (as these details are often made public), at a vigil or in court. If an arrest has been made in your case, the media may be at the courthouse for the accused’s first appearance, bail hearing and any subsequent hearings. There will likely be several members of the media at any media conferences organized by police.
It is completely acceptable to request that the media not attend certain places, such as the funeral, your children’s school, your home or workplace. This does not guarantee that the media will not show up — particularly if they are on public property — but it never hurts to express your wishes for privacy.
Do I need to speak with the media?
Many trauma survivors agree to speak to the media because they don’t want to be rude or don’t realize they can say no. But in fact, you are under no obligation to speak with the media and should only do so if you are making the informed choice to do so.
If you are not comfortable speaking with the media, but would like your voice to be part of the narrative, an alternative option could be to release a written statement or have a trusted spokesperson address the media on your behalf. Or, you may decide not to say or release anything — and that is completely fine.
Survivors of traumatic events are often in a state of shock in the immediate aftermath and unable to properly communicate what they know and how they are feeling. This state may last long after the initial hours or days. While some survivors feel the need to address the media immediately, others choose to let some time pass before considering interview requests.
It is important to remember that just because you agreed to an interview once, does not mean you need to agree to an interview again. You are also under no obligation to grant interviews to multiple media outlets, though granting an interview to one outlet may spur requests from other outlets.
Whether or not you choose to engage with the media, if you are ever called to testify in court, what you say in the witness box may be published or broadcast publicly.
I want to release information, but I don’t want to do any interviews. What are my options?
You can prepare a written statement or video statement. If you aren’t engaged with Pickup Communications, ask your investigating police department if they can distribute this statement on your behalf. Alternately, you can post content to your social media channels or ask a support person to distribute it to media outlets on your behalf.
If recording a video on your cell phone to release to the media, flip your phone so you are recording horizontally, as this is the preferred method for television news.
Your statement may be printed or broadcast in full and/or in edited portions.
What will happen if I don’t speak with the media?
The media may go to alternative sources for information. After someone dies by homicide or in a motor vehicle collision, for example, it is common for friends, acquaintances and other relatives to share pictures of and comments about the victim on social media. These may be published or broadcast in the news. Likewise, friends, acquaintances, or distant relatives may show up at the crime scene, court, funeral home, vigil, or elsewhere, and speak publicly about your loved one there. Unfortunately, their comments will be out of your control.
The media may also try to contact you at a later date, even if you indicated you would never like to participate in the media coverage.
What are the benefits of speaking with the media?
If your loved one died by preventable circumstances, like homicide or a motor vehicle collision, releasing a statement or speaking publicly about your loved one can be a compelling way to make the broader public care about your case. In open investigations, this can be helpful in encouraging witnesses to come forward with information. It can also prompt public debate about different social and legal issues.
Being involved in the media coverage of your case is also a way for you to have some control during the criminal justice process, which is very offender-focussed. Sharing your voice will also make it less likely that journalists will interview people who perhaps did not know the victim as well as you did.
If you do choose to speak, think about what you would like to say ahead of time. Write down some key messages and refer to it before the interview ends. Let the journalist know the most important point or points you would like included in the story (this will not guarantee those points will be included, but it can help). Also ask who else the journalist plans on interviewing. They may not be able to answer this question, but you should be able to get an idea of what the story will be about.
It is also within your rights to request a list of questions ahead of time, refuse to answer anything you are not absolutely comfortable with, pause the interview for a break, and/or stop the interview all together. When agreeing to an interview, you should ask until what point you can withdraw your consent to participate.
Can anything bad come from me speaking with the media?
If you are a witness or surviving victim in the case, speaking publicly about the evidence could jeopardize the integrity of the police investigation. It could taint future witness accounts of what happened and could be detrimental if your story changes in any way between the time you speak with the media and the time you may be called to testify in court.
Further, if you speak with the media in the immediate aftermath of the crime, before you have had a chance to think through what happened or what you would like to say, you may regret some of your comments once your initial shock subsides. Many trauma survivors who do not wish to engage with the media, but reluctantly agree to an interview, regret the decision to engage down the road. This can lead to further trauma.
Should you decide that you only want to speak with one media outlet and no others, once your interview is published or broadcast, other media outlets will likely reach out to you for comment. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but something to be aware of.
Police told me I shouldn’t speak to the media. Why might this be?
This may be because you have information about the case that, if made public, could jeopardize the integrity of the investigation (see previous question). There are times, however, that victims or survivors would like to speak publicly even if they possess what investigators refer to as “hold-back“ information. This can often be achieved through consultation with your investigative team and/or Pickup Communications consultant regarding what messages would be appropriate to include in your statement or interview.
If an investigator advises you not to speak with the media, be sure you understand the reason — are they trying to protect the integrity of the investigation, are they trying to protect you, or are they just accustomed to victims and survivors not speaking publicly?
What can I expect to see about my case in the media?
If you were interviewed by a reporter (or several reporters), you may see your entire interview and/or edited portions in the newspaper, on social media, on television and on the radio. If you gave an interview with one media outlet, it may be shared with affiliates. For example, an interview given to CTV Toronto may also appear on CTV News Channel, CTV National News, CP24, Newstalk 1010 radio and any number of local stations across the country. Sometimes, different media outlets share content with each other even if they are not officially affiliated.
You may see images of the crime scene that may be upsetting to you, including vehicle wreckage, forensic investigators looking for evidence, images of blood on the pavement or your loved one’s body being examined by investigators and/or removed from the scene. There may be photos or videos of you at the crime scene, funeral or courthouse.
You may see police speaking about the mechanics of the investigation and the narrative of what happened. There may be witnesses recounting what they saw or heard. Some cases will include extensive information about the offender, including images gleaned from social media or police, while other stories may focus more on the victim, including information from acquaintances, loved ones, social media posts and/or public court records.
Images and information about your case may appear in the media coverage of similar cases or in stories about developments in your case. This could be weeks, months or years after the crime happened. For example, if another homicide or traffic fatality happens in the same neighbourhood months later, your case may be included in the story as a recap of similar cases (even if there are no similarities, other than location).
I just saw my investigator on TV talking about another case. Does this mean they are not working on my case?
While it may be upsetting for you to see the investigator on your case appealing for information about another case, it does not mean your case is not active. It is not uncommon for investigators to have several open investigations on the go at the same time. If your investigator is “on call,” and another call comes in, he or she will be assigned to that case, most likely along with a team of other investigators.
Investigators make public appeals in different cases at different times, often for investigative reasons. For example, if a new piece of information becomes available in one case, that may prompt the investigator to seek media attention on that case, while continuing to work on your case as well.
My case has gone cold. How do I make people pay attention to it?
The best way to garner attention on a case that does not have any new investigative leads to share is to hook it to something newsworthy. For example, you could make an appeal for information leading up to your deceased loved one’s birthday or on the anniversary of their death, though many survivors choose not to do interviews on these days as they are typically filled with emotions. You may garner attention when there is a public conversation happening about similar crimes. The story may be that while the public is talking about one high-profile case, you are still waiting for answers in your case.
Before reaching out to the media, reach out to the investigative team first. They may want to join you in your appeal for information and/or may help you disseminate your message. Perhaps you have some new pictures or home video that you would like to release. Or, maybe you have never spoken to reporters and are now ready to grant an interview.