Media Guide: Understanding the Realities of Strangulation

This guide is designed to assist media professionals in understanding the importance of using appropriate language to describe non-fatal strangulation, specifically, when discussing strangulation and suffocation within the context of power and control, domestic violence relationships, sexual assaults, and homicides. This guide also provides background and educational resources for the media to assist in accurate reporting of this horrific crime.

The cost of misreporting or misunderstanding strangulation crimes is incredibly high, as strangulation frequently foreshadows an escalating use of violence and homicidal intent, providing a profound disservice to survivors and the public.