News media reporting on Scottish cases in which women kill following domestic abuse

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a feminist analysis of news media reports related to Scottish cases in which women killed following domestic abuse. The findings show that problematic narratives have prevailed within the reporting of cases of this type and that, at a time when knowledge and understanding of domestic abuse was improving in Scotland, news media presentations of women who kill following abuse were worsening. It is argued that the reporting landscape was changed by an especially high-profile case of this type, and that judicial statements also exert a significant influence on how cases of this type are reported. It is concluded that more must be done to ensure that reporting of these cases follows national guidelines related to the reporting of violence against women, especially since reporting is likely to influence public perceptions and understandings of the subject matter.