Family violence homicide in Australia: the effect of victim/offender gender on social media commentary

Abstract

ABSTRACT The rapid expansion, accessibility and connectivity of social media enables real-time reader engagement and interaction with news regarding crime and criminal behaviour. However, the generally unrestricted nature of social media can lead to problematic discussions which may perpetuate damaging stereotypes and affect responses to victims and perpetrators of certain crimes. This study analysed social media reader commentary in response to news articles reporting 30 incidents of family violence (FV) homicide, published via the Facebook pages of four Australian media organizations. The study examined the nature of the media coverage and the reader comments for each homicide, according to the victim–offender relationship and the underlying tone of the initial article. Notable differences were evident in both the nature of the media coverage and the reader comments for homicides perpetrated by male and female offenders. Differences were also evident according to the type of victim (male, female or child). Male victims received less sympathy than females, whereas male offenders elicited notably more criticism. The findings point to embedded perceptions and expectations mapped to different victim–offender relationships. While the results reflect predominant patterns of FV victim–offender relationships, they also highlight the particular challenges faced by male victims of family violence.