Missing Representation: Bystanders in the Media
At Soteria Solutions, we are constantly looking far and wide for stories of when people had the opportunity to intervene to prevent or respond to sexual and relationship violence and stalking. We know that folks are intervening every day, but we’re left asking these questions after searching through pages of media coverage:
Why are all these stories about white cis straight able-bodied survivors?
Where are the stories about Black people, Indigenous people, and people of color?
Where are the LGBTQ+ people?
Where are people with disabilities?
When we do find stories that feature folks of color, they tend to be with perpetrators of color and white victims, and highlighting those dynamics feels inaccurate and counter purpose, given how many experiences of sexual violence are intraracial rather than interracial.
We also look for examples of pro-social bystanders, or people who have intervened to impact a situation positively. We then find ourselves asking:
Why do all of the stories with men as bystanders involve using violence to prevent violence?
Why are all the stories that involve creating a distraction or calling for help about women?
Where are the BIPOC folks, LGBTQ+ folks, and people with disabilities who are intervening?
As we celebrate the reality that many more folks are now being trained to be pro-social bystanders, I hope that we will begin to see a change in the stories that are shared in the media. Until then, here are some ways to widen our conversations and question these media narratives as we engage or campus communities as pro-social bystanders:
Read a variety of survivor stories if it feels safe to do so. Check out this resource on centering the margins from End Rape on Campus and follow me too.’s survivor stories series to learn more. Books like Dear Sister: Letters from Survivors of Sexual Violence and We Believe You: Survivors of Campus Sexual Assault Speak Out also share stories from survivors that are often left out of media narratives. The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape also has a resource on the connection between racism and sexual violence.
Highlight stories that counter these narratives and please share them with us when you find them! Put them in your trainings, share them on social media, highlight them in blogs on your page!
Collect bystander intervention stories on your campus: One way that campuses are countering the prevailing narratives is by asking members of their communities about how they intervene and showcasing examples (without identifying information of others involved, of course).
Couple bystander intervention training with media literacy training: Create space on your campus for students to learn more about how the media perpetuates stereotypes and ways to counter those narratives as they work to be pro-social bystanders who shift campus and community climate.
By LB Klein, MSW MPA with contributions from Caroline Leyva, MPA
LB Klein is Director of Trainer Development and a lead trainer for Soteria Solutions and a PhD candidate in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work. Caroline Leyva is the Director of Curriculum Development for Soteria Solutions.