The Representation of Intimate Partner Femicides in the Media in Portugal

Abstract

This article sought, on the one hand, to characterize intimate partner femicides in Portugal and, on the other, to find out whether news articles about them integrate the national and international recommendations regarding the news treatment of violence against women and domestic violence. To this end, a content analysis was carried out on a set of 20 news pieces published in two daily generalist newspapers with the largest circulation in Portugal — Correio da Manhã and Jornal de Notícias — regarding 13 victims murdered in 2021. It was observed that news pieces continue to publicize femicides in a sensationalist way through titles, photographs and narratives that arouse readers' attention and curiosity towards the tragedy, morbidity and more dramatic aspects of crime. The inappropriate way in which portray femicides can affect the way they are understood and interpreted by readers, leading them to a distorted and biased position towards the phenomenon. As such, the media must seek to respect the recommendations for action to promote adequate and responsible news discourse given their decisive role in preventing, combating and eradicating the problem of violence against women.