Time’s up: Recognising sexual violence as a public policy issue

A qualitative content analysis of sexual violence cases and the media

Using framing theory and research on sexual violence and the media, this study looks at media representations of three “high profile” sexual violence cases in two popular American newspapers. It explores key words, frames, and whether or not there have been any changes from 2014 to 2018. While laws exist in the U.S. to prevent sexual violence (e.g. Violence Against Women Act of 1994), sexual violence is a major public health issue in the U.S.