Media Analysis of Family Violence Reporting: January-March 2008

Media Analysis of Family Violence Reporting: Jan-M…
01 Jan 2008
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This January-March 2008 Quarterly Media Analysis is the final in a series of four reports for the Campaign for Action on Family Violence. The Ministry of Social Development commissioned three Quarterly Media Analysis reports to measure the increase in awareness and understanding of family violence during the Campaign period. Although the Campaign for Action on Family Violence was officially launched in September 2007, media advocacy work began before then. For comparison purposes, an Historical Media Report was carried out of family violence stories from a three month sample in 2005, before any Campaign or media advocacy work began.

This quarterly media analysis, like the July-September 2007 Quarterly Media Analysis and the October-December 2007 Quarterly Media Analysis, examines the following:

  • The extent of coverage of family violence
  • The tone and manner of family violence media coverage
  • The family violence issues and messages being communicated through media coverage
  • The family violence myths being perpetuated through media coverage
  • Family violence spokespeople
  • News organisations and reporters covering family violence stories
  • The number of "calls to action" against family violence

The results of this Quarterly Media Analysis will be used to:

  • Compare and track changes in media coverage of family violence.
  • Identify the success of the Campaign for Action on Family Violence.
  • Identify areas of action required to respond to use of myths and misreporting.

The Campaign for Action on Family Violence is being led by the Ministry of Social Development and the Families Commission, in association with communities. It is supported by ACC, the Ministry of Health and the New Zealand Police. The campaign is a major initiative of the Taskforce for Action on Family Violence, which advises the government on family violence issues.

Key Results

  • This January-March 2008 Quarterly Media Analysis of the Campaign for Action on Family Violence confirms a sustained and consistent shift in the way family violence stories are portrayed through the media since advocacy work begun.
  • The Campaign for Action on Family Violence continued to attract significant media attention, months after it was officially launched on 4th September 2007. The campaign was mentioned in just over 20% of all family violence stories during January-March 2008.
  • There was no single new ʺprominentʺ family violence story during the January-March 2008 quarterly period. However, the high level of media coverage, especially that originating from a local level, highlights the public interest seen in family violence issues.
  • 8.8% of family violence stories assessed were on the front page of a newspaper or the lead story on a radio or television news broadcast. This would indicate the seriousness placed on family violence issues and incidents by the media. This figure is consistent with that seen in the previous quarter (8.6%).
  • The media continued to show a high level of interest in family violence stories about children. 42.1% of stories assessed were about child abuse, child murder/homicide or child sexual abuse. When this figure is added to stories about smacking, the total number of family violence stories involving children rises to 58.9%.
  • Family violence, and how to prevent it, were topics of high interest to the media in the January-March 2008 quarter. Stories specifically about family violence or preventing family violence made up 38.8% of the total coverage. This is an increase of more than 10% on the previous quarter.
  • Stories about smacking captured the interest of the media during the January-March 2008 quarter, making up nearly 17% of total coverage.
  • In the January-March 2008 period, more than a quarter of all stories (25.3%) contained a “call to action”. This would indicate that family violence spokespeople are using the media to get their message across to the public.
Page last modified: 15 Mar 2018