NCJ Number
230283
Journal
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 19 Issue: 1 Dated: January-February 2010 Pages: 99-117
Date Published
January 2010
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This study examined child sexual abuse in relation to coverage in the printed media.
Abstract
This article analyzes trends in the coverage of child sexual abuse in popular magazines since the early 1990s. The article employs systematic analysis to identify and analyze articles in four popular magazines. Articles are analyzed by subject, length, and publication. The results affirm established theories of newsworthiness related to the coverage of specific stories over time. However, interest in the subject waned in the past 10 years, with the brief and dramatic exception of coverage connected to the Catholic Church in 2002. The findings demonstrate systematic differences between the slants of the four magazines studied. The findings also suggest that child abuse professionals could improve the quality of coverage by agreeing to interviews in connection with articles about childhood sexual abuse. Tables, figures, and references (Published Abstract)