NCJ Number
151061
Date Published
1994
Length
28 pages
Annotation
The depiction of female victims of violence in local television news was analyzed and found to involve a dichotomy in which they are either innocent or responsible for their victimization; the analysis concluded that this dichotomy is tied to an ideology of male supremacy that supports violence against women.
Abstract
The research involved content and discourse analyses of 53 days of 11 p.m. half-hour newscasts on the ABC, NBC, and CBS network affiliates in Atlanta during June, July, and August 1991. Each instance of violence was coded by type and the gender, race, age, and class of victim, as well as other factors. The results indicated that the news, by perpetuating the myths, stereotypes, and assumptions inherent in the virgin/whore dichotomy, ultimately encourages violence against women. The results also suggest that news stories of violence against women serve as a warning to women by defining the boundaries of appropriate behavior as well as the punishment for transgression and demonstrate how race, class, and age are inextricably linked to gender in the representation of violence against women. 39 references