A murderous ‘underclass’?:press reporting of sexually motivated murder

Grover, Christopher and Soothill, Keith (1996) A murderous ‘underclass’?:press reporting of sexually motivated murder. The Sociological Review, 44 (3). pp. 398-415. ISSN 0038-0261

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Abstract

The ‘underclass’ is widely held by commentators of the Right to be responsible for a host of social problems, including violent crime. This paper shows how in the reporting of sexually motivated murder in a sample of nine British newspapers for one complete year (1992), the image constructed is one where unemployed and other marginalised men are portrayed as the main perpetrators of sexual violence. This, the authors argue, hampers our understanding of sexual violence, for it suggests that it is only men of a ‘low’ socio-economic background who are a potential threat to women and children. It is also suggested that the ‘symbolic environment’ of the press reporting of sexual murder provides a context in which a more authoritarian benefit regime and greater control of poor communities can be spuriously justified.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
The Sociological Review
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/researchoutput/libraryofcongress/h1
Subjects:
?? APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCESOCIOLOGY AND POLITICAL SCIENCEH SOCIAL SCIENCES (GENERAL) ??
ID Code:
59064
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
09 Oct 2012 15:12
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
20 Sep 2023 00:25