Project Overview

• Podcast series, digital article and �resources to help survivors
• Focused our project not on the assault �itself, but on the long-term impact �on survivors
• Investigated sexual assault case outcomes �in Sacramento County to validate what survivors told us
• Goal for project to serve survivors and their loved ones and to give law enforcement the tools to rethink their approach to these cases.

Promotional Trailer

Participatory Journalism

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• We knew we needed to build trust for this to work
• Met monthly with a cohort of eight survivors
• Some came to us, others we sought out through other connections
• Discussed the project and kept them informed
• Conducted group interviews
• Also talked about their healing and built a community
• Met occasionally with law enforcement and advocates to get their input and build connections

Tip #1: Be present & listen

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• Show that you care and value their time by being there and being respectful.�
• Sit and actively listen in interviews and group meetings, making them your focus in the moment.�
• Be patient and don’t push as they tell their stories.

Tip #2: Keep participants in the loop

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• When you discover new things or make strides in reporting or production, tell your participants about it!�
• Updates on the project’s process can demonstrate the value of their involvement and help them feel seen.�
• Be cognizant of how and when you’re sharing potentially triggering information and content.

Tip #3: Be consistent & reliable

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• Being involved in a project like this can be scary. It’s important your participants feel like you’re fully in this with them.�
• As much as you can, keep plans when you make them and communicate changes promptly and openly.�
• When things do change or fall apart (they will!), give them space to process and be willing to listen to how it impacted them.

Tip #4: Let participants be in control

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• Survivors of sexual assault and other traumas may have experienced a loss of control or power as a part of that.�
• Letting them feel in control of their story may feel healing to them, so let them drive as much as you can.�
• Be very transparent about our need to ensure accuracy, and why we may have to ask tough questions and confirm parts of their story.

Getting emotionally attached

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• In this process, participants can at times start to feel more like friends and less like sources. It’s important to set boundaries when needed.�
• Be kind and compassionate, but make sure participants understand those boundaries and your role as a journalist from the start.�
• It’s not your job to defend participants to those in power, but it is our job to hold those in power accountable for what happened to them.

Questions to ponder

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• Have you ever been on the edge of becoming too invested in a source? �
• How did you keep the line drawn?�
• Are there situations where it’s appropriate to be an ally to a source?

What if we hadn’t done it this way?

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• Peer interviews led to extremely powerful tape of the survivors talking to each other that gives an intimate window into their experiences.�
• Case documents provided by survivors revealed things about the data law enforcement provided us we wouldn’t have found otherwise�
• Make sure the relationship and the project are something that the journalists and the participants both benefit from.

Final takeaways

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• This kind of work takes time — be ready to invest.
• Make time and space to take care of yourself while doing work like this. Content is heavy and the stakes are high — for you and for your participants.
• What you can implement now
• Recording participants interviewing each other.
• Letting participants have input on outlines of the project.
• Walking participants through the script.

Sammy Caiola, Health Care Reporter & Host

sammy.caiola@gmail.com

@sammycaiola

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Emily Zentner, Data Reporter

emily.zentner@capradio.org

@emilymzentner

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Contact Us!