Media Construction of Campus Sexual Assault: A Case Study

Abstract

Working within a social constructionist paradigm, the focus of this study is on the way in which the social problem of campus sexual assault is constructed and the way in which these constructions determine the proposed solutions. To address the issue, the study focuses on a high-profile case of a violent sexual assault that occurred at Carleton University in the fall of 2007. Drawing upon the work of Joel Best and Donileen Loseke, I approach this issue by focusing on the claims-making activities that emerged in response to this event. Using a mixed methods analysis of newspaper coverage of the event consisting of a quantitative content analysis combined with a more detailed thematic analysis focusing on the specific claims made and the more general themes they reflect, this study analyzes the dominant claims-makers identified by the media, the claims they put forth, and the proposed solutions that follow from their particular constructions of the problem. Results of this analysis illustrate the contested nature of the construction of campus sexual assault as well as the way in which competing discourses reflect features of a broader social discourse relating to crime, individualization, and the responsibilization of women to protect themselves from sexual violence.