Media outlets increasingly examine the causes of violence and avoid blaming victims, excusing perpetrators and incorrectly suggest that factors like alcohol or mental health are drivers of violence.  

But there’s still work to do. A recent report found that 15 per cent of Australian incident-based media reports included elements of ‘victim-blaming’: that she was drinking, flirting, went home with the perpetrator, or was out at night. Just as many offered excuses for the perpetrator: he was drunk, using drugs, jealous, ‘snapped’ or ‘lost control’.