Exploring legal restrictions when reporting on violence against women

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Free event

About the event

24 Jul, 2025

12.30pm–2.45pm AEST

Online via Zoom

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Journalists play a powerful role in shaping public understanding of violence against women. But when legal restrictions apply, there are additional challenges in reporting responsibly and accurately while centring the voices and safety of those affected. 

Join Our Watch and the RMIT Centre for Innovative Justice for a two-part webinar that will equip journalists, editors, and media professionals with the tools to navigate legal, ethical, and trauma-informed considerations when covering these stories.

About this webinar

Part 1 Exploring impacts of legal narratives and court processes on media reporting of violence against women 

Part 1 of our webinar will explore: 

  • the gap between what courts commonly deal with and what the media reports – and why this matters for public understanding
  • how legal narratives and court processes can unintentionally reinforce victim-blaming, and the impacts when these narratives are replicated in the media
  • how the criminal justice system could be improved to make the process less traumatic on victim-survivors
  • how to report on victim-survivors in a responsible, trauma-informed manner. 

Moderator: Elena Campbell, Associate Director – Research, Advocacy and Policy 
Speakers: Anna Coutts-Trotter, Zita Ngor 

Part 2 Exploring practical strategies for media reporting on violence against women where there are legal restrictions  

Part 2 of our webinar will explore: 

  • how defamation and suppressions law in Australia impacts on reporting
  • strategies for navigating legal constraints through reflection on specific cases
  • the ethical dimensions of court reporting. 

Journalists will have the opportunity to submit questions they would like covered upon registration.  

The webinar will include a 15-minute break.  

Moderator: Rebekah Hayden, Media Implementation Lead, Our Watch 
Speakers: Gina McWilliams, Senior Legal Counsel, News Corp Australia, and Mark Pearson, journalist, academic and author, with Elena Campbell, Associate Director – Research, Advocacy and Policy. 

Accessibility and other requirements

This session will have closed captions. To learn about other ways to register, or for questions about access or the training, please email training@ourwatch.org.au

Moderator

Elena Campbell, legal and gender-based violence researcher

Elena Campbell, legal and gender-based violence researcher

Elena Campbell (she/her) is a trained lawyer, consultant and researcher who has worked in legal and social policy for 25 years.

As Associate Director at the Centre for Innovative Justice, RMIT University she oversees a program of research regarding domestic, family and sexual violence and the related impacts on people's experiences of justice and service systems. 

Panellists

Anna Coutts-Trotter, survivor and Co-founder/Director of The Survivor Hub

Anna Coutts-Trotter, survivor and Co-founder/Director of The Survivor Hub

Anna Coutts-Trotter (she/her) is a cofounder and director of The Survivor Hub. Anna experienced domestic and sexual violence as a young person and endured an isolating court process as a result. Anna was inspired to create TSH to empower connection and community between survivors.

Anna is a recent graduate of Bachelor of Arts and Social Work from the University of Sydney, and is currently working as a social worker while running The Survivor Hub. She is an ambassador for National Survivors' Day and has worked with Full Stop Australia, Bumble, NSW Government and other sector stakeholders. 

Gina McWilliams, Senior Legal Counsel, News Corp Australia

Gina McWilliams, Senior Legal Counsel, News Corp Australia

Gina McWilliams (she/her) has worked for News Corp since 2005. Her workday is divided between giving prepublication advice, acting in defamation, suppression/non-publication order and access matters, training journalists young and old and everything in between that happens to be media related.

She was delighted to be part of the team awarded the 2021 June Andrews Walkley Award for Women’s Leadership in Media for their work on the #LetHerSpeak/#LetThemSpeak campaign. 

Mark Pearson, media law author and teacher

Mark Pearson, media law author and teacher

Mark Pearson (he/him) is a former journalist and journalism educator who is adjunct professor at Griffith University.

He has written 13 books, including 6 editions of The Journalist's Guide to Media Law and the new sole-authored Communicator's Guide to Media Law and Ethics (Routledge, 2024). His retirement hobby is teaching school students in remote communities and conducting media law training sessions.

Read before the event

Young woman using cell phone to send text message on social network at night.

Tips for reporting when there are legal restrictions

  • 12 minute read

Understand legal issues relating to reporting on violence against women for journalists.

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Guidelines for reporting on violence against women

  • 3 minute read

Evidence-based tips for journalists reporting on violence against women.