NCJ Number
167602
Date Published
1997
Length
160 pages
Annotation
This study of media coverage of violent crime committed against women in Atlanta, Ga., provides evidence that news coverage in American cities routinely depicts criminal violence against females differently than males.
Abstract
The focus of the research is on local news in Atlanta, Ga. The study used qualitative, textual analysis to disclose the underlying ideology, myths, and assumptions within the news. The analysis considers how women who are the victims of male violence are represented, how women who successfully defend themselves against men are portrayed, how journalists negotiate the flood of violent crimes against women to determine which ones are worth reporting, and how news coverage can be improved. These issues are examined within the context of the links among gender, race, and class as they reflect and reproduce the dominant ideology. In addition, the book expands on current theory and research about crime news. The book shows that when women are on the receiving end of male violence, it is often the victim, not the perpetrator, who appears to be the deviant who should be condemned. 161 references and a subject index