Constructing Child Kidnap Murders in the Media : Analyzing the Jones and Zhang Cases

• In Event: Children and Crime in the Media

Abstract

Stranger abduction is a rare phenomenon in Canada. Studies by the RCMP and Statistics Canada have consistently demonstrated that stranger abduction followed by murder account for a handful of murders across Canada annually. This paper analyzes the construction of what became two prominent cases of this type of Holly Jones and Cecilia Zhang. The media's power to instill fear and lend authority to police calls for more powers is amply demonstrated in the coverage of both cases. The rare and unique nature of both cases provides cautionary lessons about media and authorities use of human tragedy to propel sales, attempt to invoke significant unwarranted changes in law and practice, and how the media can be converted to a tool for creating injustice.

Author

• Thomas Fleming, Wilfrid Laurier University