The Portrayal of Gender in Criminal Justice Media: Exploring Masculinity and Femininity in "Black Bird" - CANCELLED

• In Event: Gendered Violence in the Media

Abstract

Violence against women is sparsely covered in news media and plagued with misrepresentations, such as the rape and stranger danger myths (Vaughan et al., 2015). This is also the case with femicide, or the “intentional killing of women because they are women,” as these crimes are frequently seen as isolated events rather than part of a broader context or societal issue (Bouzerdan & Whitten-Woodring, 2018). Acts of femicide are portrayed as isolated events, leading to blaming female victims instead of the male perpetrators. This research analyzes current portrayals of masculinity, femininity, and femicide within criminal justice-oriented television through content analysis of the show "Black Bird" (2022). As prior femicide research is focused on news media, data collected from each episode of the docudrama series "Black Bird" provides more current insight into viewers' perspectives and portrayals of femicide. Across "Black Bird," masculinity is in focus, with characters prioritizing maintaining a masculine image and dominating peers. The portrayal of femicide victims in the series reflects trends in current news media’s, indicating that the series may contribute to victim-blaming culture and the normalization of femicide.

Authors

• Elizabeth Price, Marymount University

• Sarah Fischer, Marymount University