Portland State University PDXScholar University Honors Theses University Honors College 5-22-2020 The Representation of Rape and Sexual Assault Within News Media Katherine E. Layman Portland State University Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/honorstheses Part of the Mass Communication Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Layman, Katherine E., "The Representation of Rape and Sexual Assault Within News Media" (2020). University Honors Theses. Paper 851. https://doi.org/10.15760/honors.872 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in University Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. The Representation of Rape and Sexual Assault Within News Media By Katherine E. Layman An undergraduate honors thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in University Honors and Communications Thesis Adviser Lee Shaker, PhD Portland State University 2020 1 Approximately every 73 seconds, someone is sexually assaulted in the United States (RAINN,2019). Rape and sexual assault are serious crimes and as such, they deserve to be accurately represented within the media. News media can reach a large number of people in a relatively short amount of time. The internet and social media dramatically expand that reach by creating platforms to share news articles all over the world. The public relies on journalists to be credible and honest in their reporting. However, the presence of rape myths, stereotypes, victim blaming and improper terminology within media coverage perpetuates the spread of misinformation about sexual violence. The New York Times is a primary news source for millions of people globally, including those who make and enforce laws. Additionally, subscribers to The New York Times are not the only ones affected by the news it produces. As a well-known and reputable publication, The New York Times sets an example for other newspapers (Graber, 2018). Consequently, other news organizations may frame their own stories based on the information found in articles originally from New York Times (Graber, 2018). At a time when the integrity of the news industry is constantly being called into question, it is essential that leaders such as The New York Times resist sensationalism and remain objective in their reporting. Through a content analysis of New York Times articles during three time periods over the past four decades, I examine how the framing of rape and sexual assault has changed from 1980 to 2020. I first selected my data set by searching the New York Times archives in ProQuest for articles about rape (or) sexual assault. I then narrowed the sample size by selecting random articles within three distinct time periods that mark significant societal changes regarding rape and sexual assault. The findings of this study show that news media coverage has changed in many ways that demonstrate a more comprehensive understanding of sexual violence. However, victim blaming 2 attitudes within the New York Times had increased over time, despite an increase in public awareness and knowledge about rape and sexual assault. To better understand why accurate representation about rape and sexual assault is so important, we first need to examine the different power structures involved, what rape myths and stereotypes are, and the influential role that mass media framing plays in shaping public discourse. Keywords: Rape, Sexual Assault, News Media, Framing, Rape Myths, Stereotypes and Victim Blaming *Note: This thesis uses the term ‘victim’ in place of ‘survivor’ for two main reasons (1) the connotation of the word survivor implies that the victim’s life was at risk- which is not the legal criteria for an assault to count as rape or sexual assault and (2) not all victims survive being attacked. News Media and Mass Communication The public depends on news organizations to give them vital information and to stay connected to the world at large (Lasswell, 1948). Three key functions of news media are: surveillance, interpretation and socialization (Lasswell, 1948; Graber, 2018) Surveillance: News media keeps a close watch on events within society to bring awareness and provide facts to inform the public on a variety of local, national and international subjects (Lasswell, 1948). The news also provides a platform for experts to deliver a summary of details or guidance about subjects that the average person may have little knowledge about. Interpretation: News organizations decide which pieces of news to produce. In doing so, journalists oftentimes report more than just factual data, they also analyze that information to provide context and meaning for the general public (Graber, 2018). 3 Socialization: Social psychologists define socialization as the process by which people learn cultural and social norms, acceptable behavior and their role within society. News media plays a critical role in presenting and reinforcing ideas and social behaviors that prompt imitation (Prot, Anderson, Gentile, Warburton, Saleem, Groves & Brown, 2015; Graber, 2018) The public’s reliance upon news media to perform these functions gives journalists tremendous power in influencing the audience's perceptions of the world around them (Lakoff, 2010). On a large scale, this power manifests as the news media’s ability to help sway the passage of legislation by bringing awareness to an issue and by putting pressure on lawmakers to act (Lakoff, 2010). A positive example of this was the overwhelming national media coverage of the 1994 assault and murder of seven-year old Megan Kanka. This media attention sparked public outcry that helped to enact the federal policy informally known as “Megan’s Law”, which required the information on the law enforcement sex offender registry to become public (Levenson, J. & D'Amora, D. 2007). News media framed the coverage of Megan Kanka’s story to connect this singular horrific event to a larger societal problem that called for legislative action. However, there might not have been the same governmental intervention if the majority of journalists had presented her story from a different angle. Framing Theory: How Stories Are Told and Interpreted Framing is a fundamental aspect of communication and processing (Griffin, 2014). Our biases, needs and experiences shape the way that we communicate with others and relate to the world around us (Lakoff, 2010). In framing, the interpretation of a message depends on how the narrative is presented (Jennings, Thompson & Finklea, 2012). Our minds instinctively filter out or link together information on a daily basis (Lakoff, 2010). The information that we consume is stored systemically and when certain frames are employed, all knowledge connected to a subject becomes 4 activated. This brings the information to the forefront of our recall (Lakoff, 2010). These frames activate schemas or the system by which our mind categorizes and stores the information (Griffin, 2014). Since our brains rely on existing frame categories to file the information we receive, new input that contradicts the knowledge we already have is more difficult to process as the new data does not connect to the current framework (Lakoff, 2010). Semantic Framing: It’s Not What You Say but How You Say It Semantic framing refers to the specific words or rhetoric [a journalist] choses to describe a story to influence or persuade people (Hallahan, 1999). In the context of media reporting on rape or sexual assault, the word accuser can invoke a less sympathetic reaction than the word victim (Katz, 2015). Vague or euphemistic terms such as, non-consensual sex sound less harsh than the term rape and can diminish the perceived severity of the crime (Bavelas & Coates, 2001. Rape is defined by the Federal Department of Justice as, "Penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim." (US Department of Justice, 2020). Therefore, under the state and federal definitions, sex without consent is rape and should be addressed as such. Passive Sentences such as ‘she was sexually assaulted’ or ‘the rape occurred’ can effectively remove the perpetrator from the conversation altogether (Henley, Miller, & Beazley, 1995). Words that normally have a different definition can adhere to previously stored information about one meaning that does not necessarily fit the occurrence at hand. For example, verbs such as sex, caressed or fondled, are usually associated with pleasurable or consensual acts (Bavelas & Coates, 2001). Consequently, when journalists use these verbs to describe a rape or sexual assault it can lessen the connection to violence or abuse (Bavelas & Coates, 2001). 5 News media convey stories in episodic or thematic frames. An episodic frame focuses on an isolated incident where a thematic frame places the incident within a broader context (Iyengar, 1990). These frames can influence the public’s perception of who is at fault and what should be done about problems in terms of individual and societal responsibility (Iyengar, 1990). Episodic frames usually generate more sympathy from audiences due to the concentration on individual stories or events (Gross, 2008). In contrast, thematic frames tend to offer more statistical data which can appear more clinical rather than emotional (Gross, 2008). The thematic framing of sexual violence can address a wide range of problems and solutions that can affect society as a whole. However, episodic framing of rape and sexual assault can decrease the perception connection to a larger systemic problem (Brossoi, Roberto & Barrow, 2012). Sexual Violence is Systemic and Cultural Systemic or institutionalized sexism is the stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination against women and girls on the basis of sex, that institutionally benefits men (Capodilupo, 2019). While gender-based discrimination can individually affect anyone, it differs from systemic sexism when there is no institutional oppression involved.