Date of Award

Fall 2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Sociology & Criminal Justice

Program/Concentration

Applied Sociology

Committee Director

Victoria Time

Committee Member

Jeehye Kang

Committee Member

Elizabeth Monk-Turner

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the rhetoric that is used in online news articles about sexual assault to see if discriminatory language is prevalent when reporting on different races. A content analysis of 100 online news articles was conducted to answer two research questions: 1) In what ways, if any, does the media use discriminatory rhetoric in online news articles when reporting on sexual assault offenders who are, or appear to be, racial minorities? 2) In what ways, if any, does the media use discriminatory rhetoric in online news articles when reporting on sexual assault victims who are, or appear to be, racial minorities? Further, each article was selected using a systematic-random sample and analyzed using a mixed-methods instrument specifically created for this research. Results of the study were inconclusive due to methodological issues. Recommendations for future research on the topic are discussed.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

DOI

10.25777/9vc8-5y97

ISBN

9781392491027

Download

Share

COinS