Psychological responses to coverage of crime in the Beeld newspaper.
Date
2010-06-15T09:39:59Z
Authors
Thompson, Talia
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Abstract
This research study aimed to explore the psychological impact of coverage of crime in
the Beeld newspaper. The context of “the Afrikaner”1 in contemporary South Africa
and the media portrayal of crime in the Beeld newspaper were also important areas of
focus in the study. Participants in the research study came from the Afrikaans
speaking community in Johannesburg and included nine women and five men. Three
focus groups were conducted in Afrikaans and the sessions were recorded and
transcribed. The transcripts were then analyzed using an interpretative thematic
analytic approach. The goal was to explore the psychological experiences of reading
reports of crime in relation to vicarious or indirect traumatization and meaning
making and understandings of crime. The main themes were identified and related to
the four main areas of interest including: 1) vicarious and indirect traumatization, 2)
meaning making and understandings of crime, 3) “the Afrikaner” identity in
contemporary South Africa, and 4) the impressions of media portrayal of crime in the
Beeld newspaper. Each theme is discussed in terms of how participants described
their experiences in relation to the theme, various sub-categories are identified where
appropriate and each theme discussion concludes with an overview and theoretical
discussion. This study illustrates that exposure to accounts of crime can be
emotionally distressing, especially given that South Africans are repeatedly exposed
to indirect anecdotal accounts of crime in their daily lives. Meaning making processes
are challenged and South Africans may find it difficult to understand why crime
happens and what the underlying intentions are of those committing criminal acts.
“The Afrikaner” in South Africa may be vulnerable to experiencing particular forms
of emotional distress and negative cognitions due to various historical and current
social factors. The way in which the Beeld reports on crime was viewed as
contributing to indirect traumatization and as contributing to biases in the construction
of crime. There was evidence of a capacity to engage thoughtfully and critically with
the material and the topic and this highlighted the active role that readers may play in
engaging with media coverage of crime.