Framing Domestic Violence Fatalities: Coverage by Utah Newspapers

Abstract

This study explores the framing of one year's worth of domestic violence fatality coverage by newspapers in Utah, which are embedded within a strong patriarchal culture. Deductive and inductive framing analyses were used to identify the primary content-related frames and determine whether coverage included views that challenged patriarchy. Most coverage portrayed domestic violence fatalities in ways that supported patriarchal institutions. However, a small group of articles acknowledged domestic violence's roots in patriarchy and men's subordination of women, confirming that mainstream newspapers can and sometimes do publish views that challenge the dominant ones. This coverage may help point to ways to reframe coverage of domestic violence fatalities.