#MeToo is different for college students: Media framing of campus sexual assault, its causes, and proposed solutions

Abstract

This study analyzes 10 American newspapers to examine how they present stories (N = 500) about sexual assault on college campuses. Attributions for causes are examined, and which entities are framed most responsible for creating solutions to the problem: individuals, universities, fraternities, sports teams, or society. News media attribute causes to individuals such as victims and perpetrators, but solutions to universities. Liberal newspapers framed the victim as most responsible for causes, more than newspapers with conservative ideology, and were overall less likely to attribute responsibility for assaults to universities.