Examining the Accuracy of Print Media Representations of Homicide in Australia

Abstract

Lethal violence is particularly 'newsworthy', and international research suggests that media representations of homicides provide a distorted depiction of the actual nature and risk of homicides. Understanding media portrayals of homicide is important given the impact crime reporting may have on public opinion and policymaking. However, much of the past research has been conducted in the United States and the United Kingdom. Using a sample of Australian newspaper articles published between

Extra! Extra! The Importance of Victim–Offender Relationship in Homicide Newsworthiness

“…Similar effects are seen with female victims; homicides involving female victims have been found to be more newsworthy than those involving male victims, with females receiving lengthier and more frequent newspaper reporting than males (Boulahanis & Heltsley, 2004;Peelo, Francis, Soothill, Pearson, & Ackerley, 2004;Pritchard & Hughes, 1997;Waters, Bond, & Eriksson, 2017). This trend is not universal, however-it is often particular combinations of victim characteristics that are predictive of newsworthiness, rather than individual characteristics.…”

“…Reader interest often increases when a case involves something out of the ordinary or shocking that grabs the audience’s attention, which prompts the newspaper to produce more stories about that particular case (Gekoski et al, 2012). It is for this reason that crimes committed by strangers tend to receive more news coverage (Peelo et al, 2004; Waters et al, 2017); stranger crimes are out of the ordinary and much less expected than a person being victimized by someone they know. In addition, the public is more likely to pay attention to reports of stranger crimes due to their own fear of victimization (Waters et al, 2017).…”

“…It is for this reason that crimes committed by strangers tend to receive more news coverage (Peelo et al, 2004; Waters et al, 2017); stranger crimes are out of the ordinary and much less expected than a person being victimized by someone they know. In addition, the public is more likely to pay attention to reports of stranger crimes due to their own fear of victimization (Waters et al, 2017). The media tend to exploit these fears of personal safety by exaggerating the potential risks (Jewkes, 2015).…”

The drop in female homicide victimisation in Australia

“…These views reflect the sentiments of anti-violence campaigners and their frequent citation of statistics such as 'one woman is killed every week' (Our Watch, 2022;White Ribbon Australia, 2020). They also match the depiction of violence by Australian media, which disproportionately covers homicides involving female victims (Waters et al, 2017) and repeatedly publishes claims of an 'epidemic' of lethal and non-lethal violence against women in response to incidents of murder (Morton, 2013;Seidler, 2020).…”

The “Men Who Kill” Through the Lenses of the Media: Performing Images of Criminal Suspects

“…Remarkably, the media focuses public attention on the offender's guilt, in particular through sexual assaults and rapes by the "unknown" perpetrator. Much has been written about the focus on the victimisation of these three women (Furedi 2006;O'Donnell 2016;Clifford and White 2017;Waters et al 2017). Also, these representations emphasise traditional gender beliefs and trivialise, without content and context, the violence to which women are regularly exposed through male violence (Wood 1994;Pollak and Kubrin 2007).…”