"There Needs to be Action at All Levels": Operationalizing an Intersectional Social Ecological Framework for...

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Media Studies
• Criminology

Background:

• News media significantly influence public understanding of intimate partner violence (IPV) and intimate partner femicide (IPF).
• Current media reporting often lacks a comprehensive, intersectional perspective on the root causes of IPF.
• There is a need for structured approaches to analyze and improve media coverage of gender-based violence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To advocate for intersectional feminist approaches in media research and advocacy concerning IPF reporting.
• To develop and present a coding framework for analyzing media coverage of IPF.
• To illustrate balanced reporting standards for IPF and promote a shift towards community- and societal-level explanations.

Main Methods:

• The study proposes an intersectional feminist operationalization of the social ecological model for media analysis.
• A coding framework is outlined as a practical tool for evaluating IPF media coverage.
• The framework prioritizes analysis of community and societal factors in reporting.

Main Results:

• The developed framework provides a tangible model for balanced and intersectional reporting on IPF.
• Analysis using this framework can reveal over-reliance on individual and relationship explanations in current media narratives.
• The framework encourages a shift towards systemic explanations for IPF.

Conclusions:

• Intersectional feminist media analysis is crucial for understanding and preventing intimate partner femicide.
• Implementing the proposed framework can lead to more responsible and informative news reporting on IPF.
• Promoting community- and societal-level explanations in media is vital for effective violence prevention strategies.