Responsibility vs. sensationalism: A cross-cultural review of media coverage of sexual violence

Abstract

In this study, the media coverage of various incidents of sexual violence across the various countries of the world has been analyzed, and to surface that whether the media is responsible, sensational or neutral in coverage of such events. Media Coverage of sexual violence is examined in the context of Galdi and Guizzo (2021), the Media-Induced Sexual Harassment (MISH) framework and Simon and Gagnon (2003) Sexual Script Theory. The review suggests that sensationalized framing and sexually objectifying representations may reinforce harmful stereotypes, reduce empathy toward survivors, and contribute to public attitudes associated with sexual violence. Through a systematic search, the data was collected from major databases from 2012 to 2021 across major academic and open-access databases, including Google Scholar, PubMed, JSTOR, Web of Science, Sage Journals, and Library Genesis. Out of an initial pool of 172 potentially relevant research articles, the researchers identified and selected 135 articles that were most directly related to their specific research topic sexual violence against women for an in-depth, systematic review. The review indicates that sensational reporting remains more prevalent than responsible reporting across many cultural contexts, although important regional differences were identified.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journalism, 2026 · DOI ↗