Powerful Yet Disempowered: A Thematic Literature Review Exploring Challenges of Canadian Journalists' Reporting on Sexual Violence


Karen Andrews, McGill University; Safeera Jaffer, McGill University

In the years since #MeToo (2017), heightened media discourse has brought sexual harassment and assault into a greater public view and consciousness (Eckert et al., 2022). Traditional print and online media wield immense power with news stories (Bohner, 2001; Clark, 1992; Starkey et al., 2019; Sue et al., 2020). The specific ways that journalists frame their reporting around sexual violence influences audiences and can perpetuate rape myths such as victim blaming. Despite certain gains in media framing over the past decade (Aroustamian, 2020), issues surrounding sexual violence reporting not only continue but have devastating consequences (Sacks et al., 2018; Sampert, 2010). Research has also shown that the media can be proxy educators for the public around prevalent issues such as gendered violence, including sexual violence. Therefore, this paper examines the underlying tension between the advances and constraints of contemporary media reporting and training on sexual violence. This thematic literature review used key search terms on Google Scholar and relevant journals to investigate reporting practices. The theoretical framework that guided this research was critical feminist analysis, mainly through an intersectional lens. Seven major themes emerged from the findings. Firstly, we identified five major themes surrounding the products of media reporting: (1) rape culture and rape myths are still prevalent, even post #MeToo, (2) ‘linguistics of blame’ are still being used (3) sexual violence is still being framed in problematic ways, (4) intersectionality is still ignored, and (5) there is still an ongoing issue with bias in the use of sources. Related to the process of reporting about sexual violence, the findings also include how (6) journalists face significant challenges with writing about sexual violence, and (7) the practical disconnect between engagement and the existence of ethical guidelines for sexual violence reporting. We conclude that journalism has the power to shape public perception of sexual violence. Journalists require additional and meaningful support to report on these stories in ways that will dismantle rape myths rather than perpetuate them. They need trauma-informed education and gendered violence reporting training, both in school and on the job. However, we must also account for the social and economic environment. Journalists in precarious situations face pressure to churn out stories, impacting their ability to produce carefully and ethically framed stories. Based on our findings and conclusions, we argue that there are significant structural challenges to ethical reporting practices for sexual violence, and much more work must be done to resist prominent stigma and stereotypes. The issues of sexual violence and media reporting are entrenched in colonialism, patriarchy, racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and other systems of oppression, which impact people in varying ways. Considering efforts to break through the weight and gravity of this continuum of violence, we look to journalism schools and media outlets to prioritize education and training. As such, these issues extend beyond the media sphere and into broader society. This directly connects to the 2024 CSA conference theme of challenging hate. Our shared futures and interconnectedness as human beings depend on our ability to act upon and against systems of oppression that often manifest in sexual violence. 

This paper will be presented at the following session: