First published in 1991, Sex Crime in the News is a unique examination of the nature of sex crime reporting in the press. Analysing examples from forty years of newspaper coverage, the authors provide a systematic study of this controversial topic. The book reveals the misleading and trivializing nature of sex crime coverage, with serious research reports on rape and discussions on law reform being given short shrift. The authors examine the increasing gap between the reality of sexual abuse and the coverage it receives in the press, and they set their detailed empirical work within a context of broader concerns about the relationship between the media, the individual and the state. Critical though it is of the press, this book will be of special interest to people working in the media, and to legislators involved in debates about the press. It will also be of value to students on course in women’s studies, cultural and media studies, and deviancy.
List of illustrations Acknowledgements 1. Introduction 2. The newspaper studies 3. Seeking out the sex fiend 4. Sex crime in court 5. Sex offenders after conviction 6. Informing the public 7. Changing legal practice 8. Conclusion Notes Name index Subject index
Biography
Keith Soothill and Sylvia Walby
