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Australian news media portrayals of filicide: depictions of mental health and the flawed mother trope

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journal contribution
posted on 2025-01-22, 04:50 authored by Amie SimingtonAmie Simington, Clare FarmerClare Farmer
AbstractIn reporting cases of filicide, the news media often relies on dominant cultural discourses that situate offenders within expected gender roles. This stereotypical framing can influence public perception of offenders and amplify outdated gendered expectations. This paper examines the portrayal of male and female filicide offenders, with a focus on depictions of mental health and the ‘flawed mother’ trope. The study drew from a sample of 103 Australian news media articles published between 2004 and 2021. Qualitative media analysis was used to examine tone and content, and to explore the gendered cultural lens through which offenders can be portrayed. The study addresses a gap in the literature by focusing on filicide and news media in Australia. The findings largely confirm that news media coverage of filicide perpetuates key cultural norms and gendered expectations of parenthood. The ‘flawed mother’ narrative, depictions of mental health issues, and a focus on parenthood were prevalent for female offenders. For male offenders there was general disconnect with their role as a parent. The findings provide a valuable insight into differential news media coverage of male and female parents who kill their children.

History

Journal

Crime, Law and Social Change

Location

Berlin, Germany

Open access

  • Yes

ISSN

0925-4994

eISSN

1573-0751

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Publisher

Springer

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