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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
John McManus, PhD1, Elena Ourania Lingas, MPH2, Jennifer Carlat3, Saleena Gupte, MPH2, and Lori Dorfman, DrPH1. (1) Berkeley Media Studies Group, 2140 Shattuck Ave. Suite 804, Berkeley, CA 94704, (2) School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, 140 Warren Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, 510-981-0066, mcmanus@bmsg.org, (3) Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley, 2607 Hearst Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94720
Background: More than one in four American women has been beaten or sexually assaulted by someone she dated or married. Yet only within the last 30 years has society taken the problem seriously enough to name it. By deciding whether and how such issues are reported, newspapers play a powerful role in alerting the public to their prevalence and shaping political responses. It is therefore critical to assess that public representation. Method: We conducted a quantitative and qualitative content analysis on every intimate partner violence story published in the Los Angeles Timesand the San Jose Mercury Newsin 2000. A matching sample comprising one of every nine stories about other types of criminal violence was also gathered in order to determine whether coverage of intimate violence differs from standard crime reporting. Results: We found 506 intimate violence stories and randomly sampled 564 other violence stories. Results will be presented indicating whether: ° Intimate partner violence is under-reported relative to other crimes of similar gravity. ° Such violence is the only crime blamed on the victim (e.g., for how she dresses, acts or for staying with a violent partner). ° Coverage excuses batterers, mitigates their culpability, or defines the problem as a private "family" matter. Implications: This is the first effort to test whether the troubling distortions feminist scholars uncovered in anecdotal critiques of intimate violence news can be generalized to quality newspapers. If so, the study would provide incontestable evidence that public health advocates and journalists could act upon.
Learning Objectives: By the end of this session, the participant will be able to
Keywords: Domestic Violence, Media
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.