Remembering the Flawed & Famous: How Journalists Address Sexual Misdeeds When Memorializing Male Icons

This study explores the ways journalists have covered the deaths of famous men who have acknowledged or been accused of sexual abuse or domestic violence. The qualitative textual analysis examines coverage of the deaths of musicians John Lennon (1980) and Michael Jackson (2009), media magnate Roger Ailes (2017), and basketball star Kobe Bryant (2020), assessing how journalistic standards have evolved. Drawing on 1,121 articles from 12 newspapers, the study finds journalists have grown more comfortable complicating the memories of icons. However, they continue to omit or minimize transgressions, embracing their long-standing role as “national healers” when constructing public memory.