Courage Is Making Headlines and You’re Part of the Story
From Oprah Daily to MSNBC, our message of institutional courage is reaching millions. Join us in expanding this movement.
Courage Is Making Headlines
October was a powerful month for the Center for Institutional Courage. Our ideas about transforming institutions through truth and moral accountability are being shared across major media outlets, and are helping millions understand the importance of courage in leadership, education, and justice.
Highlights from the Month of October
Courage-Funded Research
The Center for Institutional Courage awarded a grant to University of Massachusetts researchers Shoub and Sharrow to support undergraduate research. Their work, featured in an article by the University of Massachusetts, reflects our mission to advance education that promotes transparency and accountability in institutions.
Institutional Courage in the Media
MSNBC’s The Best People with Nicolle Wallace featured Epstein survivor Jess Michaels, who defined justice as “acknowledging negligence, acknowledging systemic failure, and having institutional courage to want to make change.”
Police1 explored “Fixing institutional betrayal in policing”, emphasizing that “the antidote … is institutional courage.”
And, in just one of many international mentions, The Manila Bulletin urged leaders to find “the institutional courage to prosecute—even political allies” in fighting corruption.
Betrayal Blindness in Oprah Daily
Oprah Daily selected “Betrayal Blindness” as its Word of the Week, highlighting how denial can be a survival response and how understanding it can promote healing.
DARVO in Public Discourse
MSNBC’s The Weeknight, Forbes, and TIME discussed how “Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender” (DARVO) tactics are used to deflect accountability, a concept central to our educational mission.
Collage of logos, titles, and images and website screenshots from October media coverage including MSNBC, Manila Bulletin, Police1, Forbes, TIME, Univerity of Massachusetts Amherst, and Oprah Daily.
Why This Matters
Every mention in the media brings new visibility to our mission: replacing institutional betrayal with transparency, empathy, and repair. But visibility alone isn’t enough. Real change requires resources — to fund groundbreaking research, educate future leaders, and create tools for institutional reform. Your support fuels this movement. Every gift, large or small, directly powers the courage to confront harm and to build institutions worthy of our trust.
Now Is the Moment for Courage
As we approach the end of the year, your contribution matters more than ever. The demand for our work is growing — from journalists and educators to survivors and policymakers — and we can’t meet it without you.
Please take a moment today to stand with Courage. Together, we can make institutional courage not the exception, but the norm.
Jennifer Joy Freyd, PhD
Founder and President
Center for Institutional Courage