The Interaction of Social Movements with the Framing of Sexual Violence in the U.S. Online Press

Abstract

On October 5, 2017, the sexual violence accusations against Harvey Weinstein was the catalyst for the growth of the social movement known as the ‘the #metoo movement’ which is aimed at revealing the pervasiveness of sexual violence in society and reframing the discourse around sexual assault. D’Angelo’s (2002) model of the news framing process describes how collective action such as social movements interact with news frames. This article aims to test that prediction by clarifying how the way sexual violence in the U.S. online press might have been reframed over the course of the #metoo movement. Through a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the newspaper coverage surrounding three news events, this article interprets the framing of sexual violence and attempts clarify any continuances and patterns throughout the framing of such violence within U.S. online press before and after the beginning of the #metoo movement.