Casting doubt?: an exploration of newsprint representations of sexual assault

Abstract

Prior to activists' efforts in the women's movement, sexual assault (SA) received little attention from mass media and from the public in general. It is now depicted by the media as a serious social problem. The constructionist framework informs us that social problems must indeed be framed as problematic in order for the public to recognize them as such. The aim of this study is to explore the ways in which Canadian newspapers represent SA. A qualitative content analysis was conducted using a sample of 760 articles from one national and one local Canadian newspaper in order to gain a deeper understanding of how SA is depicted in the mass media, as well as to elucidate patterns of its representation. Important themes include depictions of the victim and the offender, situational characteristics, as well as a consideration of the broader political issues and societal reactions that recur in newspaper representations.