Conceptualising 'queercide': a quantitative exploration of the technical frames used in online reports on lesbian murders in South Africa.

South Africa remains one of the most dangerous places for women - lesbians in particular - to live freely and safely, where a culture of patriarchy and a lack of socio-economic opportunity are ubiquitous throughout its communities. While the Internet has given journalists a wider platform to provide...

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Published in:Communicare Vol. 42; no. 2; pp. 43 - 55
Main Author: van der Schyff, Marchant
Format: Article
Published: Communicare, Journal for Communication Sciences in South Africa Dec2023
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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        atl: Conceptualising 'queercide': a quantitative exploration of the technical frames used in online reports on lesbian murders in South Africa.
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        au: van der Schyff, Marchant
        affil: Independent Institute of Education -Varsity College, South Africa
      su:
        Lesbians
        Murder
        Journalists
        Press
        South Africa
      sug:
        subj:
          South Africa
          Lesbians
          Murder
          Journalists
          Press
      keyword:
        frames
        journalism
        lesbian murders
        online
        queercide
      ab: South Africa remains one of the most dangerous places for women - lesbians in particular - to live freely and safely, where a culture of patriarchy and a lack of socio-economic opportunity are ubiquitous throughout its communities. While the Internet has given journalists a wider platform to provide insights about issues plaguing lesbians, there is very little information regarding the elements used in these online reports. This is not only due to the lack of language required to contextualise lesbian issues, but also persistent institutional and societal homophobia. This article describes the technical frames used in the online news reporting of four case studies of 'queercide'. Using a thematic coding sheet, data was collected from 70 online articles purposively selected based on a priori population characteristics. The study found technical elements, such as the length of online reports, credible sources used, and 'code-driven' and 'user-driven' elements identified in the coded online articles. The conclusion uncovers some clear trends enabling the construction of a Venn-type diagram, which presents insights into how the murder of lesbians (referred to as a sub-section of 'queercide' in the article) is being reported by online news media compared to contemporary theoretical discussions on how these cases should be reported on. This article situates 'queercide' within a conceptual framework for future studies, while the findings demonstrate how online articles on the killing of lesbians lack self-regulatory and sharing features that would improve their legitimacy in the minds of their readers.
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    language: English
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      custom: Copyright of Communicare is the property of Communicare, Journal for Communication Sciences in South Africa and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
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