Abstract
Journalists rely on myth to explain events and reaffirm social ideals. This research analyzes coverage of Mary Kay Letourneau, a teacher who pled guilty to raping her 12-year-old student. Through textual analysis, we examined national magazine coverage from 1997 through 2005 to determine what narratives were used to explain a crime that reversed the traditional roles of criminal and victim. We found that journalists relied on rape misconceptions and myths of proper (hetero)sexual roles, including the Good Mother and Princess in romantic fairy tales, to tell the story. The construction of this narrative erased the crime, turning rape into romance and (re)establishing masculine hegemony.
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