One in five news articles justify gender-based violence

Media outlets raise awareness, sensitize, and prevent gender-based violence twice as much as social networks, which tend to be more sensationalist. However, 20% of published news articles justify the aggressions to some extent, and one out of six violates the victim’s privacy by exposing personal data they would prefer to keep private. Additionally, we generally know much about the victim and little about the aggressor. In fact, we have 75% more personal information about the victim than the aggressor. 

Denialism contributes to a harmful and self-perpetuating cycle: a suggestion in the media multiplies by four in social conversation. These are some of the conclusions highlighted in the report “Out of Focus: Refocusing the social conversation and media reporting of gender-based violence” conducted by LLYC in the framework of International Women’s Day on March 8.

For this study, LLYC’s Deep Learning team analyzed 226.2 million general news articles, 5.4 million news articles on gender-based violence, and 14 million messages on X related to gender-based violence in the 12 countries where the firm operates (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, United States, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Portugal, and the Dominican Republic). The research employed Large Language Models (LLMs – GPT4) to identify and isolate descriptors directed towards victims and aggressors in public news obtained through scraper models, as well as Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques in four languages to analyze compliance with 21 best practice guidelines recommended by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Mediterranean Network of Regulatory Authorities (MNRA) guidelines.

“Those of us engaged in social conversation know that shedding light on gender-based violence is essential to advance its eradication,” says Luisa Garcia, Partner and Global COO of LLYC. “On the other side, when gender-based violence coverage mishandles the news, it can be counterproductive, generating sensationalism and causing double victimization. At LLYC, we not only want to highlight this risk but also provide tools to avoid it.”

In addition to the report, LLYC created The Purple Check to help focus news headlines with a gender perspective. This innovative artificial intelligence tool checks messages for biases and recommends an alternative solution of how to say the same thing to inform without promoting inequality and thus redirect the focus to communication. The tool is freely accessible because contributing to change is everyone’s task.

Here is an example of The Purple Check refocusing a headline that has appeared in the news:

What the data reveals:

1. Media talk vs. social media: Media outlets discuss gender-based violence extensively, with one article on the topic for every 30 news pieces. On the other hand, social media platforms engage much less, with content on gender-based violence published at a rate 15 times lower.

2. Raising awareness: news media outperforms social media: Media coverage raises awareness, sensitization, and prevention efforts, surpassing social networks in these areas by a factor of two.

3. Sensationalism: Social media outpaces traditional media: Social media tends to use twice as many terms such as “brutal”, “terrible”, “shocking” or “horrific” to attract the reader’s attention.

4. Focus on victims: Media coverage tends to focus more on the victims rather than the perpetrators, with 75% more mentions of victim attributes, including a 45% increase in mentions of their age.

5. 20% of the news on gender violence justifies the aggression. In some cases, arguments such as addiction problems or even victim provocation are used to try to explain and justify the violent acts of the aggressor.

6. A denialist insinuation in the media is multiplied by 4 in social media. Media outlets sometimes imply denialism by linking incidents to specific or isolated cases.

7. One out of every six news items exposes personal data against the victim’s wishes, such as profession, allusions to mental health, offspring, or kinship. In social media, privacy is even more violated. Specifically, 7% more.

8. Spain leads in gender-based violence conversation. It is the country with the highest ratio of participation on gender-based violence conversations in social media. The ratio of interaction between social media and news is 48% higher than average. 

9. In LATAM, gender-based violence stands out in the news, but not in social media.       In Latin America, news coverage of gender violence surpasses social media activity significantly. For instance, in Argentina and Colombia, there are ten times more news items on gender-based violence than on traffic accidents. However, Brazil and Argentina show lower social media engagement, 70% below the average.

10. In the United States, on average, aggression is justified twice as often as in other countries. However, the focus on victims is four times lower compared to other countries.

The study identifies the following recommendations and best practices when reporting on cases of gender-based violence:

In media outlets: 

1. Eliminate mention of the aggressor’s addictions and mental health: they can be perceived as justifications. Focus on specific facts that avoid diluting the aggressor’s responsibility.

2. Refocus the narrative: emphasize that gender-based violence affects us all to highlight the seriousness of the problem.

3. Raising awareness on social media in countries with low levels of mobilization: use digital platforms to share messages raising awareness about gender-based violence. 

4. Omit elements that excuse the aggressor: remove close characters and narratives defending the aggressor. Maintain focus on the severity of gender-based violence and its impact. 

5. Protect children’s privacy unless they have been directly affected. Do not disclose the mere existence of children, as it could jeopardize their privacy.

6. Contextualize without attacking privacy; avoid naming specific sites that attack the victim’s privacy. Ensure a respectful and ethical approach. 

7. Avoid socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic mentions: omit references to social stratum, purchasing power, races, or ethnicities of both the aggressor and the victim, especially on social networks.

8. Avoid descriptions of the victim’s mental state: as it could be perceived as a justification for the aggression. Focus on the facts and their consequences.

9. Include a greater diversity of voices in the news: increase the presence of male experts, professionals and victim advocates. 

10. Reinforce the consequences of aggressive behavior in criminal, professional, or social settings. This applies to all individuals, not just public figures. 

On social media: 

If you share a post discussing gender-based violence, make sure to be very mindful of the terminology used and avoid sensationalistic terms like “terrible” or “shocking,” and avoid dramatizing expressions like “sad” and inappropriate ones like “unfortunate.” Additionally, if you identify as male, it is recommended to express your condemnation of gender-based violence as a commitment that we all, regardless of gender, should assume. It is essential to avoid denialism when addressing this issue and not to minimize or individualize violence. Also, avoid associating it with specific groups; it affects people from all backgrounds and social contexts..