What hysteria? A systematic study of newspaper coverage of accused child molesters

Child abuse in England and Wales 2003–2013: Newspaper reporting versus reality

“…So perhaps while the reporting of sexual abuse does not overemphasise the problem of sexual abuse (Cheit, 2003), it does appear to under emphasise other forms of child maltreatment, particularly emotional abuse and neglect.…”

Portrayals of Child Abuse Scandals in the Media in Australia and England: Impacts on Practice, Policy, and Systems

“…Studies of media representations of child abuse have demonstrated that the focus is more often an over representation of criminal matters, particularly relating to child sexual abuse, and of stories containing the 'bizarre and unusual' (Cheit, 2003;Cheit, Shavit, & Reiss-Davis, 2010;Hove, Paek, Isaacson, & Cole, 2013;Saint-Jacques, Villeneuve, Turcotte, Drapeau, & Ivers, 2011). Abusers, especially pedophiles, are typically top of the list for public identification, thereby tapping into public fear and anxiety about ubiquitous risk of harm to children.…”

Recidivism Among Child Sexual Abusers: Initial Results of a 13-Year Longitudinal Random Sample

“…This has resulted in a flurry of legislation across the country increasing the sentences for child sexual abuse and even legislation to monitor convicted child molesters after they have completed their sentences (Petrunik, 2003). While child sexual abuse is undoubtedly a heinous crime, much of this legislation is based on dubious media reports that exaggerate the problem (Cheit, 2003;Jones, Finkelhor and Kopiec, 2001;Kappler and Potter, 2004). There are even some instances of legislatures trying to create two strike laws for child sexual abusers (Petrunik, 2003).…”