NCJ Number
188788
Journal
Howard Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 40 Issue: 2 Dated: May 2001 Pages: 180-194
Editor(s)
Tony Fowles,
David Wilson
Date Published
May 2001
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study charted the gender narratives in reporting violence in the British print media.
Abstract
News reporting of violence reflects neither the reality of the occurrence of violence nor the portrayal of violence in official statistics. The analysis of all reports of violence in four national British newspapers over 6 months illuminated the processes of selection, and the ways in which the news media promulgate and naturalize gender in the daily reporting of violence. The stories were sorted into categories and the most prominent groupings of stories were charted. In a 6-month period, three-quarters of the 1,727 articles were about violence by a man or men. Reports of violence by a woman or women constituted approximately 21 percent of the articles. Findings revealed most frequently occurring narratives about women were about violence in the context of intimate and/or caring relationships. The major categories of men’s violence emphasized sexual violence towards women, in many cases women unknown to the offender and more general violence towards strangers. Significant differences were found in both the nature and intensity of reporting violence by men and women. Women’s violence was more likely to be reported as irrational or emotional while men’s violence was more likely presented as “normal” or rational. References