Victims of the Successors of Jack the Ripper : A Study on the Media Portrayals of Serial Killers and Their Victims in the U.S.A. from 1974 to 2024

This research examines the portrayals of five American serial killers and some of their victims, covering a period from 1974 to 2024. Newspaper articles, interviews, psychiatric evaluations, and court testimonies are used to showcase and analyze social pathogenies and systemic inequities. A mix of discourse and qualitative content analysis is applied to provide detailed and critical insight into media representations and their connection to gender and social discrimination. Results reveal a consistent pattern of favorability toward male perpetrators and victims and significant biases toward their female counterparts. The language used glamorizes sexual serial killers and casts disproportionate blame on their female victims, especially those coming from marginalized social groups. Sex workers and young women from impoverished or abusive families are depicted in a degrading way, while the perpetrators who possess superficial positive personality traits, charm, and success, are treated like celebrities. This study contributes to media, history, and criminology by providing critical insight into media's biases rooted in deeper issues regarding oppressed and vulnerable social entities.