Framing Public vs Private Violence: An Inductive Thematic Analysis of The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and The West Australian

Abstract

In Australia, domestic and family violence (DFV) has reached epidemic proportions. This research argues that it constitutes a form of terrorism, although the news media, governments, or public rarely refer to DFV in this way. This paper examines how Australian news media outlets—The Australian, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, The Sydney Morning Herald and The West Australian—reported on and at times connected DFV and terrorism, finding that DFV and terrorism were connected in several ways, and that DFV was described as terrorism by several academics, advocates, journalists, and victims. The research also found that the framing of each issue differed, subsequently affecting public perceptions of the perceived severity, impact, and pervasiveness of each issue.