One of the most sensitive areas of concern when dealing with campus crime is sexual assault. Administrators say they fear victims of sexual assault may be reluctant to report the crime if hearings are open. Journalists usually do not disclose the identity of sexual assault victims even when covering open criminal trials. However, reporters may contact a victim. In those instances, a victim may choose to go public and deference is given to the victim to make that choice.
Ethical journalists treat sources, subjects and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect.
While every effort should be made to ensure victims' rights, public safety issues cannot be ignored. If so, it will only result in more victims. Consider, for instance, the warm spring Sunday morning in 1995, when a female student was jogging alone on the sidewalk behind the University of Georgia football stadium. Music from her portable stereo prevented her from hearing a man slip behind her. The woman was dragged into a wooded area, brutally raped and beaten with a rock.