여성 대상 범죄 보도 프레임 : 2014년 성폭행 사건 언론 보도로 인한 손해배상 판결 전후의 비교

Crime news often sensationalizes incidents, particularly when women are the victims. While many studies have suggested that improved reporting practices and proper reporting guidelines are solutions for improper crime reporting, the reporting of crimes against women still has issues to tackle. Media coverage of such crimes is important because it shapes the understanding of the issue through framing. This study examined the types of crimes against women and the perpetrator-victim relationship in the media from 2003 to 2022, and how the framing of these crimes changed, particularly before and after the court awarded significant damages to the family of a victim due to the media over-reporting of a sexual assault in 2014, also known as ‘the Ko Jongseok case.‘ A content analysis was conducted. A total of 687 articles were analyzed from Chosun Ilbo, Dong-A Ilbo, Hankyoreh, and Kyunghyang Shinmun. First, the research revealed disparities between the types of crimes reported in the media and the actual incidence of these crimes. It highlighted that more violent crimes, such as murder, were the most frequently covered. Moreover, analysis of the perpetrator-victim relationship data demonstrated that strangers (29.0%), relatives (27.5%), acquaintances (21.4%), and lovers (20.4%), with about 70% of crimes against women occurred between acquaintances. Unlike other crimes, crimes against women are overwhelmingly perpetrated by acquaintances, so there is a need for official statistics and measures to be taken. Regarding the format of frames, there was an observable shift: thematic frames, which extensively explore the causes of incidents and societal issues, initially increased while episodic frames decreased. Episodic frames, which accounted for 94.3% of all format frames before 2014, decreased to 87.2%, and thematic frames, which were 4.1%, increased to 9.7%. However, in recent years, there has been a decline in thematic framing. In terms of content frames, the human interest frame experienced a sharp decrease after 2014 from 40.2% to 23.8%. Conversely, frames associated with victim blaming - consistently identified as problematic in previous studies - and the boundary-making frame, which perceives crimes against women as mere criminal cases or those involved as distinct from the general public, have increased. In addressing crimes against women, the media should take on the responsibility of scrutinizing underlying causes, perpetrator relationships, and societal safety nets to identify potential structural issues. Objective, gender-sensitive reporting and the providing of appropriate information can significantly impact this issue. This necessitates media self-awareness, continuous self-examination, journalist training, awareness campaigns, and further academic research into crimes against women.