How episodic frames gave way to thematic frames over time: A topic modeling study of the Indian media’s reporting of rape post the 2012 Delhi gang-rape

Abstract

In December 2012, a young girl was brutally gang-raped on a bus in New Delhi, the capital city of India. In the aftermath of this event, reporting and discourse on sexual harassment surged within the media there. This study uses topic modeling, a type of statistical model in machine learning, to conduct a longitudinal analysis comparing the framing of rape in the English language press in India before and after the 2012 gang-rape. Especially relying on the difference between ‘episodic’ and ‘thematic’ frames, the study finds a significant rise in ‘episodic’ frames in the immediate aftermath of this trigger event. However, it also observes ‘thematic’ frames and an evolution to more accurate reporting on causes of gender violence in the long run. The study further presents a discussion on the various factors that may have influenced frame-building over time.