Understanding British News Media Coverage of Rape in the Context of a High-Profile Rape Trial: An Analysis of the Benjamin Mendy Case

• In Event: Social perceptions of crme

Abstract

How the news media portrays rape has long been the subject of extensive investigations. Research has consistently revealed a recurring tendency to establish familiar patterns over time. An extensive body of literature on news narratives surrounding rape indicates a historical inclination towards misinformed and inaccurate depictions. Consequently, the news media has often been found to perpetuate rape myths and misconceptions, often distorting the dynamics of rape, as well as perpetuating misconceptions about victims-survivors and perpetrators. However, recent research has revealed some consistent findings that while rape myths and misconceptions still appear in the news media, these are more subtle rather than more obvious compared to previous studies, making them harder to challenge. Nevertheless, a nearly constant aspect of the literature is that not all rape cases are equally newsworthy. Notably, research reveals that certain stories receive more media attention than others, and that 'celebrity rape' has emerged as a common genre, and due to their celebrity, athletes’ rape and sexual assault cases are particularly noteworthy.

In this respect, the empirical focus of this study is a high-profile rape case involving celebrity footballer Benjamin Mendy, and how this case was covered in the British news media. This case is significant not only because it involves a celebrity, but also due to the involvement of multiple accusations against him, the fact that the news coverage may contain potential racial elements as he is a French and black athlete, and this is a relatively recent case. Consequently, this presentation begins with an overview of existing literature on news media representations of rape. Subsequently, it presents the findings derived from the content analysis conducted within the empirical phase of the study.

Author

• Ezgi Aral, Loughborough University