Role of Media in Shaping Perceptions of Sexual Violence
Chapter One
Objectives
General Objective
The main objective of this research was to study the media in shaping perceptions of sexual violence in Nigeria and the priority given to the stories.
Specific Objectives
- To find out media in shaping perceptions of victims and culprits of sexual violence
- To identify the trend of repeated news and follow-up news regarding cases of sexual violence
- To analyze the pattern of media in shaping perceptions on sexual violence
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Overview
Literature review is a scrutiny of other research information on a given topic (Fry, 2010). In this chapter, the researcher reviewed scholarly work in books, journals and online publications with information on already done research on sexual violence which is a form of gender-based violence. The researcher also looked at theories that support the study and support the study problem. This was done under the theoretical framework which gave a lens through which to examine how media in Nigeria frame cases of sexual violence.
Gender-based Violence
Initially, gender-based violence was seen as violence against women based on women’s subordinate status in society (Morris, 2009). But this is not the case anymore. GBV is the violence against either men or women by their opposite gender. Therefore it can be violence against men by women or violence against women by men (Hanmer and Maynard, 1987).
GBV hence incorporates any threat or act by men or ladies or institutions by either gender that incur physical, sexual, or mental harm on a girl or woman, or boy or man because of their gender.
According to Commins (2010):
GBV is an issue with a mind boggling web of causes; societal, social, lawful, financial and historical. Any effort to completely address GBV thus requires several platforms for action.
Commins’ description means that GBV is deeper than the violation seen on the outside. It has roots found deep in the offender and the victim.
The Human Rights Library in the University of Minnesota says: “GBV incorporates physical, sexual and mental violence like abusive behavior at home; sexual abuse, including sexual abuse and rape of children by relatives; forced pregnancy; conventional practices destructive to ladies like female genital mutilation, honor killings, violence in armed conflict and psychological abuse such as abusive language and coercion. Trafficking of girls and women for prostitution, sexual harassment, forced marriage and terrorizing at work are extra cases of brutality against forced.
Consequences and Cost of Gender-based Violence
According to UN Women there are multiple consequences of violence on both men and women. These effects also have cost implications. GBV may lead to physical or psychological harm to the victim and in turn the cost of seeking therapy is high and is also transferred to the government. Victims’ health can also be harmed whereby if sex is involved they risk contracting HIV (Dunkle et al, 2004). The consequences not only harm the victim, but also the society. Violence in the family affects the children such that they either become victims in the future or perpetrators.
Understanding Sexual Violence
Sexual violence is a violation of victim’s right to choose. This is because sexual activity occurs without consent.
Sexual violence happens when a person is constrained or manipulated into undesirable sexual action without his or her consent. By definition, consent implies authorization for something to happen or consent to accomplish something. Reasons why a person might not assent incorporate fear, age, ailment, handicap as well as impact of alcohol or other medications.
Anybody can encounter sexual violence, including teens, children, grown- ups, and elders. The individuals who sexually abuse can be family, acquaintances, trusted people or strangers; of these, the initial three classes are generally regular (NSVRC, 2012)
To understand sexual violence, (UNICEF 2010) defined sexual intercourse as follows
“Sexual Intercourse” or “Sex” refers to anytime a male’s penis enters another person’s vagina or anus, however slight.
For females, sexual intercourse, as used when portraying demonstrations of acts sexual violence, would incorporate somebody penetrating a female’s vagina or anus with their penis, fingers, hands, mouth, or other objects, or entering her mouth with their penis. In males, sexual intercourse when used to portraying acts of sexual brutality would incorporate somebody infiltrating a male’s anus with their hands, penis, fingers, mouth, or other objects, or entering his mouth with their penis. Sex can likewise incorporate somebody compelling the male’s penis into their mouth, anus, or vagina.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Overview
Research methodology is the process the researcher used to collect information and data for the purpose of this study. This chapter looks at how the researcher studied media in shaping perceptions of sexual violence in Nigeria. The process includes the design the researcher employed including how the researcher came up with the sample to study.
Research Design
The study employed both qualitative and quantitative methods (mixed method). In this study, to get quantitative data, the researcher collected news articles from the newspapers to understand framing of sexual violence. The researcher looked for certain elements in the newspaper articles and described the inherent frames. The researcher was particularly keen on the following frames:
- Choice of page g. Front page, back page, early pages, mid-pages and county pages.
- Use of
- Use of mugshots
- Utility box/fact box
- Quotes
- Figures
- Letters and Opinions
Content analysis (media content analysis) was employed for the news articles and the researcher interpreted the data.
Content analysis is a survey procedure used to make replicable and substantial inferences by coding and interpreting literary material (Terry, 2012). By methodically evaluating texts, e.g. graphics, oral communication, and documents, qualitative data can be transformed into quantitative information. Data was gathered and grouped according to the coding units which for this study were the identified frames in addition to other aspects such as: Follow up articles and age of the victim and offender.
The results of content analysis are numbers and percentages, attained through frequencies. These are presented using tables drawn using Word processor and graphs created using Excel.
To get qualitative data, chief-subeditors and subeditors for the three newspapers were interviewed. The researcher used structured questions which were different for the chief sub- editors and the sub-editors. Answers from the interviews were then be transcribed and interpreted then presented as a narrative in the report.
Research Approach
The study employed both qualitative research approach and quantitative research approach. In quantitative research approach newspaper articles were analysed using a code and data presented according to various frames. Frequencies, numbers and percentages were obtained hence giving quantitative data.
In the qualitative research approach, the study made use of an interview guide which had a series of questions that guided the researcher when interviewing chief sub-editors and sub-editors. The interviews were recorded and later transcribed.
Target population
The target population was the newspapers under study: The Daily Nation, Sunday Nation and Saturday Nation and in addition the subeditors and chief-subeditors at Nation Media Group. The Daily Nation, Saturday Nation and Sunday Nation newspapers and other papers under the media group as well as their respective chief sub-editors and sub-editors were the researcher’s target population.
CHAPTER FOUR
FINDINGS, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
Overview
The researcher mined 333 articles from Nation Media Group’s newspapers namely: Daily Nation, Saturday Nation and Sunday Nation for the year 2023-from January 1st to December 31st. The newspaper articles examined were categorized into various sections according to the way they were published for example; national news, foreign news and back page, among other sections. Terms used to describe sexual violence were also used among the variables considered during analysis; these were rape, sexual abuse, sexual assault and sexual violence. Other variables of importance considered were age of victims and offenders, follow-up on stories, use of utilities among others. A code sheet containing 24 variables was used to gather data.
Interviews with chief-subeditors and subeditors of the media in the research were recorded and later transcribed.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Overview
This chapter presents a summary of the findings in the study, recommended areas for further research and conclusion.
The newspaper is a powerful tool that can play a great role in influencing the public and help shape opinions. To fight against sexual violence and help lower the cases which have been on the rise, the newspaper can be of great help in discouraging the vice and help change mindsets.
Summary
The study found that most articles on sexual violence got space in the county round up pages which are not the prominent pages in a newspaper. Unless a story was of public interested or considered to be of great value it was not given space in the national news pages. Stories that made it to page one were few and had created a lot of buzz on social media since they touched on a politician while the other involved a fake doctor who was accused of drugging and raping patients. Foreign news pagers had considerable articles but this was because in 2023, the Bill Cosby sexual scandal accusation broke out, sexual violence in war-torn African countries such as South Sudan were covered and the sex scandals in the Catholic Church as given attention by the pope.
From September to December, articles on sexual violence became fewer with December having the least articles. This was highly attributed to the fact that stories touching on festivities, road safety and winding down the year were given more priority. Less news value was thus attached to articles on sexual violence hence their notable absence from the pages.
Most articles on sexual violence were in the form of news most of which were crime cases as covered in courts of law. Features were few meaning that the issue was not covered in depth. The public was either not given space or they did not comment on sexual violence because the articles under letters to the editor were few.
Articles on sexual violence were not given much prominence apart from those touching on the politician, the fake doctor and those that shocked the country. Page leads and full page stories were few and they were hardly any supporting stories presenting another side of the story or even a different angle for the same story. Most stories were briefs which are highly summarized.
Follow up stories were done only on stories that were of public interest having first generated a lot of heat on social media or having drawn the attention of authorities such as the police and the public prosecutor.
Most stories on sexual violence did not have photographs, mug-shots, pull quotes and numbers which are usually used to add depth and prominence to a story. But this could be due to the fact that most stories were short briefs which usually do not have room for extra details.
It was found that the newspaper tried as much as possible to cover articles on sexual violence were the researcher found that there were no rules dictating on the number of articles. However, other issues given more value could push out articles on sexual violence leading to less coverage like in the case of December.
The law was found to play a great role in the way victims and offenders were portrayed with the newspaper trying as much as possible to contravene the law. And as much as there was an editorial policy to guide against bias and personal opinions, these came up once in a while depending on the nature of the offence and its perceived gravity.
There was a feeling that the newspaper was giving sexual violence enough coverage which was countered by another view that the stories should be covered in depth and given more variation since most stories were centered on cases in court.
Various frames such as age, the law, editorial policy and news value were identified as coming out strongly in the coverage of sexual violence.
The newspapers set the agenda on sexual violence based on discussions during the editors’ daily conference or based on prevailing circumstances such as high profile rape cases. These led to decisions to do feature articles or opinion pieces tackling the issue of sexual violence.
Conclusion
The findings indicate that media can do more to help fight sexual violence in the society. The newspapers have done a great deal, however more can be done and tactics changed so as to help create change and influence certain mindsets. More feature articles should be employed to give an in depth analysis of the issue of sexual violence. Reporters can be encouraged to dig-deeper into the stories and help unearth more occurrences of sexual violence other than cases that are in court or have been taken to court.
The government has even a bigger role to play in fighting sexual violence by changing strategies.
Recommendations
From the analysis the following is recommended:
Other stakeholders, activists and support groups etc., should come in and help educate the public on the negative effects of sexual violence.
The public should be empowered and educated on the need to report cases of sexual violation since most go unreported.
Journalists should find other ways of reporting on sexual violence and find ways of digging for unknown details while going out of the courts to fish out other stories on sexual violence.
Newspapers should change how they approach stories on sexual violence and give them more prominence while also making editorial opinions and allowing opinion from the public.
Policy makers should make it a rule to teach pupils on how to avoid falling victim or becoming a perpetrator.
Recommended areas for further research:
A study on editorial policies and how they influence news coverage.
A study on newspapers and the role they play to deter vices in the society.
Further research on impact of media framing of sexual violence covering a longer period of time
e.g. three to five years.
The place of social media in influencing print media news coverage.
REFERENCES
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