She was Warned: Spiral of Silence Through News Coverage of Donald Trump’s Access Hollywood Tape

• In Event: Contesting Rape Culture: Feminist Explorations of Violence Against Women

Abstract

This study uses spiral of silence to examine the changing climate of opinion via news coverage in the aftermath of the Trump Access Hollywood tape scandal. Survivors of sexual misconduct are often silenced with fear; however, media attention in this case did serve as a platform for many women to publicly accuse Trump. Despite this, content and textual analyses of print, TV cable, and online news sources (N = 847) showed continued emphasis on negative comments towards accusers, threats from Trump and others, and dismissal of accusations. News media do not only reflect public opinion, but also reinforce threats of isolation to minorities by heavily focusing on majority threats. This was found especially for TV cable and conservative media. Overall, survivors still face isolation, retaliation, and poor treatment by formal systems for speaking out. Meanwhile, there is minimal consequences for the accused.

Authors

• Lindsey Erin Blumell, City, University of London

• Jennifer Huemmer, Texas Tech U