The media's coverage of ”insecurity” in Argentina: victims, victimisers and lawsuits

Abstract

Fear of crime and media influence on citizen risk perception is an issue that has grabbed the attention of the academia, approaching it from different perspectives. However, there are not too many case studies that address the current dynamics of this problem in Latin America from the perspective of quantitative content, although studies show that the topic has become a public concern in many Latin American countries. The overall objective of this paper is to analyze "insecurity" media coverage in the Argentinean newspapers Clarín, La Nación, and Página/12, both in electoral and non-electoral contexts. Based on concepts provided by the Agenda Setting and Framing theories, we will try to establish:1) the relevance of different issues associated with crime in the national press; 2) the actors referenced by newspapers as victims and perpetrators and the attributes they are associated with; and 3) the frames that prevail in their coverage.