229013 Media Effects of Intimate Partner Violence Reporting

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 : 8:30 AM - 8:35 AM

Lori Ann Post, PhD , School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT
Background Research on mass media news coverage of intimate partner violence (IPV) consistently reveals systematic and biased reporting patterns. By portraying inaccurate accounts of the dynamics, causes, and risks of IPV, media coverage may actually perpetuate social norms supportive of IPV. Despite deficiencies in IPV media coverage, the impact of IPV reporting on social norms and the public health or its role in IPV etiology has yet to be explored. This proposed panel is comprised of five related empirical studies. 1. Mass media patterns and trends of IPV reporting; 2. From media coverage to perpetration: Causal mechanisms of IPV; 3. Impact of media frames, labeling, and information inclusion on implicit collusion of IPV perpetration. 4. Predicting implicit collusion with Rasch measures of injunctive and descriptive norms of IPV. 5. Applying IPV theory to media coverage of IPV collateral homicides. Methods Data are derived from a) 20 year statewide coverage of IPV newspaper archive; b) multisite media experiment. Results Content analysis of IPV media reports produced hypotheses to be tested during media experimental phase. Subjects exposed to thematic frames were half as likely to collude and subjects provided negative victim information were three times as likely to collude with the perpetrator. Conclusions Our research makes a strong case for media effects on social norms and attitudes that are known to relate to intent and behaviors. Based on our findings, primary prevention programs aimed at journalists, media organizations, and communication experts may reduce tolerance and perpetration of intimate partner violence.

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify four systematic and biased mass media reporting patterns of intimate partner violence. 2. Formulate how the media impact social norms, intentions, and subsequent tolerance and perpetration of intimate partner violence. 3. Explain the impact of media “frames,” “labeling,” and “information inclusion” on "implicit collusion" with intimate partner violence perpetration.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I developed the study design, created the measures, and conducted the statistical analysis.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4039.0: Media effects of intimate partner violence reporting