Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Finding The Women In The Words: Examining The Framing Of Female Victims In Homicide Reporting, Isabelle Gillibrand

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

This study examines the print media coverage of two similar 2019 murders, one of a White woman and one of a Black woman, to research the framing of female victims in homicide reporting. Previous research identified how components from the overall structure of details down to the specifics of word choice impact how readers depict and remember victims. Through a discourse analysis, the Alexandria Kostial-Aniah Blanchard case study found how the coverage downplayed each victim, mainly through the placement of details, word choice and the effects of various journalistic standards, including the inverted pyramid structure and delayed identification. By understanding …