Undergraduate Honors Theses
Title
"Who Should I be Afraid Of?" A Content Analysis of Rape Reporting in the New York Times between 1955 and 2005
Thesis Defended
Spring 2011
Document Type
Thesis
Department
Sociology
Abstract
This research expands on the current literature pertaining to sexual assault and rape reported in the media, by analyzing rape and sexual assaults reported in the New York Times between 1955 and 2005. Content analysis was conducted on 450 articles, coding for characteristics including the victim and defendant demographic characteristics and the victim-defendant relationship. Data analysis revealed a number of significant relationships and changes in rape reporting over time. The findings include the significance in the interactions between the race and ethnicity of the defendant and victim, the disproportionate reporting of stranger rape reported, and an established pattern of rape myths found in high-profile cases found in the New York Times. The rape of Black victims is almost invisible in these NYT reports, while the articles reporting on cases of White victims and Black defendants are vastly over-represented, consistent with rape myths surrounding race.
Recommended Citation
Brown, Kenly Elizabeth Kelly, ""Who Should I be Afraid Of?" A Content Analysis of Rape Reporting in the New York Times between 1955 and 2005" (2011). Undergraduate Honors Theses. 584.
https://scholar.colorado.edu/honr_theses/584