Maybe, the journalists said, but any such advisory card with a police department seal on it is likely to discourage cooperation with the media. A greater fear of journalists is that this practice in one suburban Virginia county will be followed in other localities across the country. Carmichael acknowledged that he has received inquiries about the card from other police departments. Journalists report volumes of compelling and compassionate stories about crime victims stories that lead to understanding, assistance and the emergence of support groups. True, said victim-witness advocates.
Many crime victims find that telling their stories is therapeutic.
Many have become great defenders of the media. But in other cases, they say, crime victims are too fragile emotionally to talk about their experience, and don t realize they have the right to refuse interviews. The pursuit of the story becomes more important than the feelings of the victim. The last thing we want is for the victim to be re-victimized, said a U.S. Justice Department official. A national victims advocate said that any advisory about the media should be just part of a larger brochure of information that victims needed.