The HIV Man, Alexandra Man and Hotboy : Swedish News Coverage of Rape as a Folklore of Fear
Nilsson, Gabriella LU
(2023)
In Routledge companions to gender
p.136-144
- Abstract
- The chapter analyses three cases that all began as rape reports, but where seemingly greater dangers, such as “the HIV virus” and “the Internet”, were identified and prioritised over rape in the news. Consequently, the news media figures the HIV Man, Alexandra Man and Hotboy were introduced. Based on the overarching question “How is rape portrayed in the news media?” the objective is to analyse how these news media figures were “utilised” by their contemporaries; how rape functioned as placeholders in news media for the continued reporting and debate of other issues, in this chapter, contemporary fears of, respectively, infection (HIV) and new technology, namely, the fear of Internet pseudonyms (Alexandra). How the cases were labelled in... (More)
- The chapter analyses three cases that all began as rape reports, but where seemingly greater dangers, such as “the HIV virus” and “the Internet”, were identified and prioritised over rape in the news. Consequently, the news media figures the HIV Man, Alexandra Man and Hotboy were introduced. Based on the overarching question “How is rape portrayed in the news media?” the objective is to analyse how these news media figures were “utilised” by their contemporaries; how rape functioned as placeholders in news media for the continued reporting and debate of other issues, in this chapter, contemporary fears of, respectively, infection (HIV) and new technology, namely, the fear of Internet pseudonyms (Alexandra). How the cases were labelled in the media thus determined what issues would be discussed in the media space accumulated by rape cases and, consequently, what issues would not be discussed (such as the causes and consequences of rape). In the present chapter, I first analyse how the three rape cases are described. I suggest that news reports implicate a “politics of emotion” and form a “folklore of fear” which functions as a way of dealing with “liquid modernity”. In conclusion, I reflect on the consequences of this for the possibilities of counteracting rape. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/01e28630-4df4-4176-be88-2eef367b8052
- author
- Nilsson, Gabriella
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023
- type
- Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
- publication status
- published
- subject
- host publication
- The Routledge Companion to Gender, Media and Violence
- series title
- Routledge companions to gender
- editor
- Berridge, Susan and Boyle, Karen
- pages
- 9 pages
- publisher
- Routledge
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85173378341
- ISBN
- 9781003200871
- 9781032061368
- 9781032061382
- DOI
- 10.4324/9781003200871-15
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 01e28630-4df4-4176-be88-2eef367b8052
- date added to LUP
- 2022-03-18 19:30:39
- date last changed
- 2024-07-08 10:36:12
@inbook{01e28630-4df4-4176-be88-2eef367b8052,
abstract = {{The chapter analyses three cases that all began as rape reports, but where seemingly greater dangers, such as “the HIV virus” and “the Internet”, were identified and prioritised over rape in the news. Consequently, the news media figures the HIV Man, Alexandra Man and Hotboy were introduced. Based on the overarching question “How is rape portrayed in the news media?” the objective is to analyse how these news media figures were “utilised” by their contemporaries; how rape functioned as placeholders in news media for the continued reporting and debate of other issues, in this chapter, contemporary fears of, respectively, infection (HIV) and new technology, namely, the fear of Internet pseudonyms (Alexandra). How the cases were labelled in the media thus determined what issues would be discussed in the media space accumulated by rape cases and, consequently, what issues would not be discussed (such as the causes and consequences of rape). In the present chapter, I first analyse how the three rape cases are described. I suggest that news reports implicate a “politics of emotion” and form a “folklore of fear” which functions as a way of dealing with “liquid modernity”. In conclusion, I reflect on the consequences of this for the possibilities of counteracting rape.}},
author = {{Nilsson, Gabriella}},
booktitle = {{The Routledge Companion to Gender, Media and Violence}},
editor = {{Berridge, Susan and Boyle, Karen}},
isbn = {{9781003200871}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{136--144}},
publisher = {{Routledge}},
series = {{Routledge companions to gender}},
title = {{The HIV Man, Alexandra Man and Hotboy : Swedish News Coverage of Rape as a Folklore of Fear}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003200871-15}},
doi = {{10.4324/9781003200871-15}},
year = {{2023}},
}