Newspapers’ portrayal of elder abuse perpetration.

• In Event: Hot Off The Press: Crime and Justice in Newspapers

Abstract

With the growing aging population, national attention on elder abuse has grown. Broadly, elder abuse includes institutional fraud (e.g. financial, health care) and individual types of elder abuse (e.g. sexual abuse, neglect). While some researchers have examined how elder abuse is portrayed in the media (Beard & Payne, 2007), little work explored the portrayal of elder abuse perpetrators. To examine the media’s portrayal of those who engage in elder abuse, this study reviewed reports of elder abuse in the top 5 circulating U.S. newspapers between 1988 and 2012. Content analysis coding, conducted both with human coders and using QDA Minor, is used to identify themes in the depiction of perpetrators of such abuse. Results are discussed within an intersectionalities framework. Policy implications and directions for future research are identified.

Authors

• Kayla Kane, Georgia State University

• Brenda Sims Blackwell, Georgia State University

• Jaynette Atkinson, Georgia State University

• Elisabeth Burgess, Georgia State University