Constructing victims and perpetrators: a textual analysis of media discourses on sexual violence

Sexual violence has become increasingly visible in the public eye, which has in turn prompted scholarly research across disciplines to critically examine how such cases are handled, ranging from the investigation processes to how the accused and accusing parties are impacted. Linguistic research in particular has made an important contribution to our understanding of the role of language in interpreting and evaluating sexual violence by focusing on the narrations of specific cases. Yet linguistic perspectives are somewhat sparse with regard to mass media discourse, which can play an influential role in shaping discussions on sexual violence. This study examines discourse on sexual violence found in online news reports in the U.S., and specifically focuses on contrasts between different discourse participants. Findings reveal that news reports employ various linguistic strategies that distance sexual violence from their perpetrators (faculty, in the cases examined in this study) and offer disparate attention to perpetrators and victims. Given the increasing visibility of public discourse on sexual aggression and the power that such discourse has in influencing audiences, analyzing the language used to construct victims and perpetrators is crucial to our understanding of the various ways that sexual violence perpetuates injustice.