Sexual assault and rape in the news: A comparative analysis of framing in the New York Times and the Asahi Shimbun.

Abstract

Sexual violence is a crime that is common globally. It is serious crime, and news reports of sex crimes are important for influencing the audience’s perceptions on issues like these. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the different perspectives journalists can give to news reports, also called frames. News reports may frame this issue differently depending on the country’s origin. This study investigates how first-hand sexual assault news reports have been framed in an American newspaper called The New York Times, and a Japanese newspaper called the Asahi Shimbun, the newspapers with the largest circulation in both countries. Using an inductive, discourse analytic approach investigating twenty articles, it was found that the Asahi Shimbun either framed sexual violence news reports using a criminal justice frame or no frame, whereas the New York Times framed sexual violence news reports using the criminal justice or morality frame. The cultural, contextual analysis revealed culture may have an impact on the framing.