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Article published In: Pragmatics and Society
Vol. 11:3 (2020) ► pp.363–390

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The freshman swimmer and the intoxicated woman

Sexist discourse in news coverage of the Stanford rape case

 | Albert-Einstein-Gymnasium Munich
Published online: 31 July 2020
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https://doi.org/10.1075/ps.17016.vie
Abstract
This article investigates the linguistic manifestations of gender discriminating stereotypes in the news coverage of the 2015 rape case “People v. Turner”. The case centers around a rape perpetrated by Brock Turner on the Stanford University campus in California. Articles from the online edition of the Stanford Daily are systematically analysed with respect to rape-myth consistent argumentation, amount of coverage granted to the perspectives of victim and perpetrator, naming/labelling of victim and perpetrator, and the transitivity choices that were made. All these factors can be identified in the news coverage of the Brock Turner case in one way or another. They result in victim blaming and mitigating perpetrator responsibility serving to show that sexist reporting is still an important issue where serious crimes like rape are concerned. Such linguistic practices re-victimise victims of sexist violence and ultimately contribute to a misogynist discourse and the reproduction and perpetuation of sexist stereotypes.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction: Letter from Jane Doe
  • 2.The case
  • 3.Selection of material
  • 4.Methods of analysis
    • 4.1Perspective and amount of coverage
    • 4.2Rape myth consistent framing
    • 4.3Naming analysis
    • 4.4Transitivity analysis
  • 5.News coverage of “People v. Turner”
    • 5.1Initial reporting
    • 5.2Reporting during the trial
      • 5.2.1Testimonies
      • 5.2.2Sentencing
    • 5.3Letters in court
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Bibliography
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