Constructive Messages in Australian Domestic Violence Online News Coverage and Guidelines for Improved Coverage

Abstract

This article focusses on the Australian online news’ effectiveness to set the agenda for disseminating constructive messages. It explores obstacles reporters and editors encounter when covering a sensitive issue like domestic violence for the online news platform. By drawing on information from 2324 domestic violence articles in three most-accessed Australian online news sites, and interviews with 12 reporters and editors, this article details how these challenges are best overcome. Content analysis and interview results indicate reporters and editors have made efforts to increase constructive coverage, which continues to remain episodic and lacks meaningful context that helps tackle social factors leading to the abuse. Because much of the domestic violence reporting focusses on murders, reporters and editors are restricted by legal guidelines as to how much context and detail they can provide. Through eight specific guidelines, this study provides insights into how the obstacles can be overcome to improve the coverage. It suggests future research areas which could investigate how a more constructive reportage cognisant of victims’ suffering could be achieved.