An Open Letter to NY Times Public Editor Liz Spayd, from Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse and Advocates

“The voiceless have a voice. A journalist’s job is to amplify it.”

Dreamcatchers for Abused Children, Inc. is honored to have our organization included in this open letter to The New York Times Public Editor, Liz Spayd, as we stand in full support of this much needed movement to create change. On behalf of the Peaceful Hearts Foundation, we are listed as one of 38 Child Sexual Abuse Survivors, Organizations and/or Advocates, urging Liz to cover the Child Victims Act of New York. We would like to personally thank Nancy Levine for all of her hard work, effort, and dedication to this important issue. Please join us, along with the 43 million plus survivors of child sexual abuse in the United States alone as we work to create change, break the silence, and bring light to this epidemic plaguing our nation.

READ THE OPEN LETTER HERE

Can we, the community of survivors of child sexual abuse and advocates, count on The Times to elevate its editorial sensitivity to covering news that affects us? Would you be willing to address questions about The Times’ absence of recent coverage of the Child Victims Act and an appearance of a conflict of interest?

• List of 38 Child Sexual Abuse Survivors, Organizations and/or Advocates Supporting This Movement

  Matthew Sandusky, Executive Director, Peaceful Hearts Foundation
  Phil Saviano, Boston survivor and activist portrayed in the movie Spotlight
  Peter Brooks, Horace Mann Action Coalition, Interschool Network Against Sexual Abuse
  Mike Pistorino, child abuse survivor and advocate
  Gary A. Greenberg, Fighting for Children PAC, Protect NY Kids
  Andrew Willis, Co-Founder and CEO, Stop Abuse Campaign
  Dr. Robert M. Hoatson, President and Co-Founder, Road to Recovery, Inc.
  John Salveson, President, Foundation to Abolish Child Sex Abuse
  Ronald Savage, survivor and Founder, United Coalition Association
  Kristen Houser, MPA, Chief Public Affairs Officer, National Sexual Violence Resource Center, Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape
  Sandra Potter, CEO and Founder at Dreamcatchers for Abused Children
  Pamela Pine, Founder and CEO, Stop the Silence, Stop Child Sexual Abuse
  Christopher M. Anderson, Executive Director, MaleSurvivor
  Blair Corbett, Founder and Executive Director, Ark of Hope for Children
  Whitney Gabriel, Board Member, Child Molestation Research & Prevention Institute (CMRPI)
  Sara Kabakov, survivor, advocate
  Judy Mitzner, survivor, advocate
  Ana Wagner, Organizer, Brooklyn Bridge Walk for a Window
  Bill Murray, CEO and Founder, NAASCA (National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse)
  Jill Jones-Soderman, Executive Director, The Foundation for the Child Victims of the Family Courts
  Catherine Goodwillie, Executive Director and Board Chair, We are SAFE (Sexual Abuse Forever Ending)
  Lisa Newman, President and Founder, LIFE Keys Child Project
  Sheri Rettew, Executive Director, Hope Clinic
  Charmill D. Vega, survivor advocate and Founder, Prevent 5Kids, Inc.
  Shane McNamara, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Survivors & Mates Support Network
  Yerachmiel Lopin, Founder and Proprieter of anti-abuse website, Frum Follies
  Rabbi David Ingber, Founder and Spiritual Director, Romemu
  Rabbi Jill Zimmerman, Founder, The Jewish Mindfulness Network
  Billye Jones, LCSW, Adjunct Faculty, NYU Silver School of Social Work
  Marti Leimbach, survivor and author of Age of Consent: A Novel
  Rachel Thompson, author, advocate, entrepreneur, mother, Founder, #SexAbuseChat (Twitter)
  Elizabeth C. Sorvillo, attorney, advocate
  Michael Dolce, survivor, attorney, activist
  Michael Broussard, Theatre Artist and Survivor Advocate
  Cliff H. Mason II, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Mason Report®
  Nikki DuBose, Executive Board Member, Peaceful Hearts Foundation
  Melanie Blow, COO, Stop Abuse Campaign
  Tammy Lerner, Vice President, Foundation to Abolish Child Sexual Abuse

Survivors, supporters, and anyone who cares about eradicating child sexual abuse are encouraged to join community leaders in inquiring about The Times’ absence of coverage of the Child Victims Act of NY and appearance of a conflict of interest. Contact Public Editor Liz Spayd at public@nytimes.com or Twitter: @spaydl