As part of its National Stalking Awareness Month campaign, the Camellia Center, which provides free confidential counseling to individuals impacted by interpersonal violence, hosted a “Stalking in the Media” panel on Tuesday.
The panel was led by Elizabeth Lester, a program coordinator at the Camellia Center, and included George Daniels, an associate professor of journalism; Ana-Lee Murphy, a staff therapist at the Camellia Center; and Beth Byrne Crutchfield, a visiting clinical assistant professor of law and interim director of the University’s Domestic Violence Law Clinic.
Crutchfield said that stalking is when unwanted pursuit continues. Stalking victims are often followed, harassed and intimidated.
Murphy said stalking “does not have to be a physical pursuit” and that stalking can take place over various online platforms, including digital payment apps like Venmo and Cash App.
Daniels focused on his experience in the news media world, discussing how reports of stalking often focus on criminal stalking. Daniels highlighted recent stories, such as a man sentenced to probation for sending a Wisconsin Supreme Court justice intimidating emails, a Georgia police chief using license plate recognition to stalk and harass people, and a man sentenced to prison for stalking WNBA player Caitlin Clark.
Murphy highlighted tropes of stalking in movies and TV shows, such as Twilight and You, that send audiences the problematic message that stalking is a sign of love.
“It is the ‘hard to get’ trope, it is the ‘we broke up but I still love you’ trope,” Murphy said. “At its best, it is disrespectful.”
Daniels, Murphy and Crutchfield all expressed a level of concern in the sensationalization of stalking in the media, bringing up films such as Fatal Attraction and pointing out how these intense depictions can cause victims to believe their experiences are not “bad enough” to classify as stalking.
With an equal level of concern, the panelists discussed the casual use of the word “stalking” to describe normal activities. Daniels said this usage can make the crime seem “less serious” than it is and is problematic for real life victims.
According to the Stalking Prevention Awareness and Resource Center (SPARC), “43% of college stalking victims who meet the legal criteria of ‘stalking’ do not identify their experience as ‘stalking’.”
SPARC also stated that 40% of college stalking victims that contacted a campus program for help said the program was “extremely or very useful”.
Daniels, Murphy and Crutchfield all said that popular media portrayals of stalking could cause victims to blame themselves for accidentally motivating their stalkers.
Jennifer Miller, a Ph.D. candidate in biological science, attended the panel because of her personal experiences being cyber stalked and witnessing family members be stalked.
“The sensationalized stories made me look at my family’s situation and look at my own situation,” Miller said.
The Camelia Center’s campaign will also host tabling on Friday from 2-3 p.m. on the second floor of the Student Center and “Jeopardy: What is Stalking?” on Jan. 28 from 5-7 p.m. in Room 2408 of the Student Center.
“We all have to be paying attention to what we see,” Daniels said. “There is always the need for education.”
Hence then, the article about camellia center hosts stalking in the media panel for national stalking awareness month was published today ( ) and is available on The Crimson White ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Camellia Center hosts “Stalking in the Media” panel for National Stalking Awareness Month )
Also on site :