Content warning: this blog post contains details of men’s violence against women that is at times graphic. Please read with care – information on where to find support is listed at the end of this blog.
As part of my degree in MSc Applied Gender Studies at the University of Strathclyde, I have been conducting a research project for Scottish Women’s Aid, mapping the appearance of domestic abuse in Scottish news media. My findings will be shared through a series of blog posts, published on the Scottish Women’s Aid website. This is the third in that series, and my previous post can be found here.
Women in the Media
Over the past 25 years, The Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) has been conducting the largest monitoring project on gender-based representation in the media. The preliminary results of the 2020 report conclude that women comprised 24% of all subjects and sources in newspapers. Although this is a slight decrease from the previous report, it demonstrates a small incremental change in the representation of women in newspapers over the past 25 years.
With the GMMP in mind, throughout my research I sought to identify the representation of women in the reporting of domestic abuse in Scottish news media. Overall, women appeared particularly well in the news reporting of domestic abuse, however this is expected due to the gendered nature of the topic.
Comparing my results with those of the GMMP, it must be noted that my project focussed solely on domestic abuse in Scottish news media, whereas the GMMP covers all news media worldwide. As such, it is imperative to identify the factors which impact the appearance of women when reporting domestic abuse in the Scottish news media, such as the topic of the story, and the occupation of the person included.
My Research
The first area of analysis that I sought to uncover during my research was the gender of the journalist, but there was no clear pattern in my findings. I then identified where women appeared in domestic abuse stories, and the findings showed that women appeared on more occasions than men. In April/May 2020, there were 183 women included in domestic abuse stories compared to 128 men. In October/November 2020, there were 79 women, compared to 64 men. However, these figures must be broken down in order to fully analyse the different appearances of women in the reporting of domestic abuse.
Out of the 183 women included in stories from April/May 2020, 76 were representatives of Scottish Women’s Aid (SWA) or Local Organisations (n=23, n=53). As highlighted in my first blog post, the Scottish Women’s Aid press release at the beginning of lockdown accounted for the high number of SWA related stories in April/May 2020, which further explains the high number of women included from related organisations.
Furthermore, of the total number of times that Scottish Women’s Aid were included in news stories in April/May 2020 (n=32), they were directly quoted on 24 separate occasions. These are promising figures, as it demonstrates that when Scottish Women’s Aid appear in the reporting of domestic abuse in Scottish news media, they are more likely to be quoted directly. Including information direct from women’s organisations provides specialist knowledge in the news reporting of domestic abuse, and these figures demonstrate that journalists are engaging with well Scottish Women’s Aid’s media communications.
However, disparities began to emerge in the appearance of women in professional positions, such as Government Officials or the Police, which was also highlighted in my first blog post. Moreover, due to the gendered nature of domestic abuse, it is imperative to consider the position of women as victims/survivors in news reporting in comparison to male perpetrators. This analysis focussed specifically on use of language and how the story was framed in the news.
Perpetrators’ stories and survivors’ stories refer to the reporting of domestic abuse from the experience of the relevant position (e.g., details of the perpetrator who inflicted abuse on their partner, or from the perspective of the survivor of abuse). With regard to perpetrators’ stories, there were cases that demonstrated poor reporting of domestic abuse. As my research focussed solely on language, it became apparent that insensitive language was used to describe domestic abuse, such as the word ‘battered’, whilst also limiting the act of violence to ‘a drink-fuelled rampage’. Using alcohol as an excuse for male violence against women is a method of denying responsibility. It removes accountability from the perpetrator’s actions and suggests that violence is situation-based rather than a recurring event. Furthermore, the use of sensationalising language to describe the perpetrator, such as ‘monster’ or ‘violent brute’, detracts attention from the victim/survivor and instead, places the emphasis on the perpetrator.
Survivors’ stories, on the other hand, detailed empowering accounts from women who have experienced domestic abuse. These stories allowed women to narrate their own past experiences of abuse, which in turn can encourage women who are currently experiencing domestic abuse to seek support. Most significantly, they detailed how domestic abuse leaves lasting mental scars on survivors, long after the abuse has occurred. During my research, I discovered that a common theme throughout survivors’ stories was to heighten awareness of the everyday impact of domestic abuse, which in turn aids public understanding of the different dynamics of domestic abuse.
However, there are safety ethical issues which must be taken into consideration by journalists before interviewing survivors, and so it is vital that the appropriate safeguarding practices are established before reporting survivors’ stories. Safeguarding relates to the emotional wellbeing of the survivors when speaking about their experience to journalists, as well as ensuring the journalist’s own awareness of the dynamics of domestic abuse. This can include signposting survivors to vital support services, such as Scottish Women’s Aid, or having their own Women’s Aid worker present during the interview process.
In a world dominated by what we read online; it is crucial that the correct steps are taken when reporting domestic abuse. Therefore, it is important for journalists to consider how they frame the telling of domestic abuse, and relevant advice on the best reporting practice can be accessed on the Zero Tolerance website.
If you feel scared of your partner or ex-partner, or if you are worried about someone you know, get in touch with Scotland’s 24-hour Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline on 0800 027 1234 for support and information. You can also email and web chat from www.sdafmh.org.uk. There are translation and interpreting services available.
