ERIC Number: EJ973327
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1053-8712
EISSN: N/A
News Coverage of Child Sexual Abuse and Prevention, 2007-2009
Mejia, Pamela; Cheyne, Andrew; Dorfman, Lori
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, v21 n4 p470-487 2012
News media coverage of child sexual abuse can help policymakers and the public understand what must be done to prevent future abuse, but coverage tends to focus on extreme cases. This article presents an analysis of newspaper coverage from 2007 to 2009 to describe how the daily news presents and frames day-to-day stories about child sexual abuse. When child sexual abuse receives news attention, the stories focus primarily on the criminal justice details of a specific incident rather than contextual information about causes of and solutions to child sexual abuse, and prevention is rarely addressed. We offer suggestions for strategies that advocates can use to help reporters improve news coverage so that it better contextualizes child sexual abuse and links it to prevention policies. (Contains 3 tables and 1 footnote.)
Descriptors: Sexual Abuse, Child Abuse, Prevention, News Reporting, Newspapers, Mass Media Effects, Crime Prevention, Advocacy, Journalism, Public Policy, Content Analysis
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A