Cullen, Pauline and O'Brien, Anne and Corcoran, Mary (2019) Reporting on domestic violence in the Irish media: an exploratory study of journalists’ perceptions and practices. Media, Culture and Society. ISSN 0163-4437

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Abstract

Media representations of domestic violence continue to be problematic. Few studies engage with journalists to understand how and why problematic representations are produced and endure. This research addresses that gap by exploring the challenges to journalists of reporting domestic violence. The key findings are that sources, conventions, and institutional constraints all constitute challenges to accurate reporting. Journalists note that police sources tend to avoid defining domestic violence as such. Consequently, problematic sources such as bystanders and community commentators are used. In addition, a number of long-held conventions prevail, including a default construction of reporting only the ‘facts of the situation’; avoiding using the term domestic violence; and referring to incidents as singular, exceptional, and unexpected, with no connection made to other similar stories or broader aspects of gendered violence. Editors also place greater scrutiny on journalists working on domestic violence stories because of potential legal repercussions regarding defamation and adherence to court reporting’s strict guidelines. Finally, relationships with domestic violence advocates are important for journalists in accessing expertise to help frame better understandings of the complexities of the issue. Until these structural and cultural problems in reporting are changed, much of the current misframing of domestic violence will endure.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	conventions; domestic violence; institutional practices; Irish media; journalists; sources;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Arts & Humanities > School of English, Media & Theatre Studies > Media Studies Faculty of Social Sciences > Sociology
Item ID:	11856
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443718823141
Depositing User:	Anne O'Brien
Date Deposited:	22 Nov 2019 17:47
Journal or Publication Title:	Media, Culture and Society
Publisher:	Sage
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	Publisher
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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