Coverage of violence and misogyny against women in themedia has fallen to its lowest level in the past nine years. Last year, only 1.3% of online content worldwide addressed these issues. These findings were published by the international audience strategy consultancy AKAS. Researchersanalyzed more than one billion online publications dating back to 2017. The largest volume of coverage on violence and misogyny came in 2018, when the Me Too movement became a peak moment for media attention to the issue. Yet even then, only 2.2% of all online content focused onviolence against women.
Researcher and journalist Luba Kassova said the team soughtto determine whether there was a link between the level of violence against women in a country and the amount of media coverage devoted to the issue. The researchers expected to find a direct correlation — the higher the level of violence, the more media attention it would receive. However, they found no such connection.
Journalist Angelina Kariakina speaks with Luba Kassovaabout the shifting media focus in coverage of the Epstein case, the harm caused by sensationalist reporting on violence against women, the “Nordic paradox,” and the sidelining of women’s voices in stories about misogyny and violenceagainst them.
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