Framing abuse : media influence and public understanding of sexual violence against children / Jenny Kitzinger.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kitzinger, Jenny.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mass media--Influence.

Mass media.

Child sexual abuse in popular culture.

Physical Description:

x, 236 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

London ; Ann Arbor, MI : Pluto, 2004.

Summary:

This book offers fascinating insights into how the media shape the way we think. Combining in depth analysis of media representations with interviews with 500 journalists, campaigners, abuse survivors and a cross section of 'the public', Jenny Kitzinger explores the media's role in contemporary society. She examines feminist initiatives to challenge sexual violence, the historical emergence of incest as a recognised social problem and the development of new survivor identities. She also explores stereotypes around sex offenders, interrogates the role of the media in protests against 'paedophiles in the community' and presents a detailed analysis of the impact of scandals about disputed abuse allegations.

Which stories attract attention and why? What strategies do journalists and pressure groups use to persuade people and how do we respond? Answering these and other questions, Kitzinger demonstrates how media reporting can impact on people's knowledge of the 'facts', perceptions of risk, sense of appropriate policy responses and even how we interpret our own experiences. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in theories about media influence and social change. It is also a key resource for anyone concerned about sexual violence, involved in designing intervention strategies or wishing to encourage responsible journalism.

Contents:

2 The Debate About Media Influence 11

A review of some key approaches to audience research 12

The current impasse: media influence versus active audiences 24

My research approach 27

3 Transformation of Private and Public Discourse: The Media 'Discovers' Sexual Abuse 32

Constructing a new social problem: a brief modern history 32

Placing narratives in historical context: recording personal accounts during the 1980s and 1990s 37

From cultural vacuum to multiple media mediation: survivors' accounts of the media's role 37

The preconditions for media discovery 44

Critical reflections on coverage of 'the incest survivor' 46

Revisiting three media studies theories: active consumption, creative identification and agenda-setting 47

4 Media Templates: Controversial Allegations and Analogies 54

The media's discovery of contested cases 54

The Cleveland scandal: a brief introduction 56

Journalists' retrospective references to Cleveland 57

Public recollections of Cleveland 59

Challenging templates: an alternative media account of the Cleveland scandal 66

5 Story Branding and the Role of Empathy 79

Orkney in the news - an outline of the scandal 79

Remembering Orkney as 'the dawn raids case' 84

Why the dawn raids made such an impression 88

Reflections on the dawn raids branding 93

Sources of alternative perspectives 98

6 Story Placing: Representing Localities, Landscapes and Communities in the News 103

The significance of place in news reporting 103

Locating the story in landscape and community: media accounts of Orkney 105

People's memories of how the media represented Orkney 109

People's impressions and beliefs 113

7 Social Currency, Stranger-Danger and Images of Abusers 125

Beasts, devils, queers and sissies: images of sex offenders 125

The danger that prowls our streets 128

Public perceptions of abusers 129

A reflection on representations of accused adults in contested cases 136

'Public' and 'private' knowledge: extra-media influences and the significance of social currency 138

8 Audiences as Activists: The 'Paedophile in the Community' Protests 144

The rise of the paedophile problem 145

'Moral panics and lynch mobs'? 148

Theorising community and media protest 149

9 The Zero Tolerance Campaign: Responses to a Feminist Initiative 159

The Zero Tolerance campaign 159

Researching people's responses 163

The media's role in representing social issues 181

How texts 'work' 183

How audiences 'work' 183

Reflections on key terms and the implications of audience activity for media influence 188

Implications for future research 191

Epilogue: Implications for Journalists and for Child Protection 195

Implications for child protection 195

Implications for media professionals 196

Reflections on the political economy of the media 199.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 216-230) and indexes.

ISBN:

0745323324

0745323316

OCLC:

56648928