The mediatization of femicide: a corpus-based study on the representation of gendered violence in Italian media

This methodological study deploys hybrid techniques to investigate how femicide is framed in media. Results are consistent with ISTAT data and with the literature, and also offer novel insights. We find a tendency of not holding offenders accountable; that most femicides are perpetrated by men that victims know well; and that mediatic discourse around such crimes increases in certain circumstances and moments of the year. The analysis of the docu-fiction Amore Criminale reveals that metaphors are frequently used to sketch the participants’ socio- psychological portraits. Iconic speech and gestures are frequently employed by interviewees to report and mime episodes of violence.