Media

As part of our mission to effect positive change in policies and public attitudes toward sexual assault, Resilience is committed to creating a cultural shift in the way sexual violence is viewed and responded to in our community. Media can play a powerful role in educating the public about sexual violence, and we are happy to work as partners with and resources for our colleagues in the news media to provide accurate information to the community.

If you are working on a story about sexual violence, please call our Central Office at (312) 443-9603, or use our Contact us page. We can provide facts, current research, expert commentary, and, in limited cases, survivor contacts. In order to respect the privacy of those we serve as well as that of our staff, please observe the following Resilience policies regarding media and publicity:

  • Media requests should be requested through our Contact us page.
  • We can connect reporters with survivors who have agreed to share their story. Resilience does not share information about survivors or their stories unless granted prior permission by the survivor.  Please note that connecting reporters with survivors is only possible on a case by case basis, and with adequate notice.
  • Resilience allows cameras on-site only when pre-arranged.
  • Since many survivors are likely to read media stories related to sexual violence, we ask that the Chicago Rape Crisis Hotline number, (888) 293-2080, be included in the body of a story, in a news banner, or in a sidebar, as well as our website www.ourresilience.org.

Other Resources:

Chicago Taskforce on Violence Against Girls & Young Women

A guide for reporting on sexual violence, written in collaboration with Resilience

Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma

Timely articles, expert interviews, journalist-to-journalist advice, tipsheets and other resources

Poynter Reports

A series of essays on some of the challenges associated with reporting on rape.

Illinois Criminal Justice Authority

An examination of Illinois sexual violence victims, using data provided to Infonet, a web-based data collection and reporting system used by rape crisis centers across Illinois.