How is LGBT violence represented within the media. Male and male violence Essay Example

How is LGBT violence represented within the media. Male and male violence

Acknowledgement

The production of this material was facilitated by the financial contributions of friends and well-wishers. The researcher acknowledges their relentless contributions without which the realization of the objectives of this project could not have been possible. The views and findings reported in this research paper are of renowned authors and cannot be attributed to the government or any other agency.

Table of Contents

How is LGBT violence represented within the media. Male and male violence

Introduction

Background

Domestic violence includes the patterns of behaviour used by one partner with the objective of exerting or maintaining control over the other partner in an intimate or dependent relationship (Fairbairn & Dawson, 2013). Existing studies indicate that there has been an increase in the frequency and intensity of domestic violence especially in lesbian, gender, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community (Glass, 2014). The society has historically been entrenched with aspects of racism, homophobia, sexism, and transphobia, which have been instrumental in preventing members of the LGBT victims of domestic violence form seeking assistance from existing structures such as the police, the court system, and other organizations for fear of bias or discrimination (Keam & Cook, 2016). The development of the media and the availability of laws protecting the rights of the LGBT community can be perceived as a major contributor to increase in platforms available for the victims of domestic violence to provide an alternative platform for the representation of their issues (Taylor, 2009).

Aim and framework

This research aims at providing an overview of the best available contemporary evidence on the techniques used by news and information media in portraying domestic violence among LGBT. The research also aims at including a broad sample of literature such as reports peer reviewed, guidelines for journalists and other relevant sources of information. In its framework, the research grouped literature in three broad categories:

• Studies of media representation that provide an understanding the nature of the discourse and content in news items on domestic violence among LGBT

• Studies on reception by audience to understand the approaches used by audience in interpreting domestic violence among LGBT, the perception and management of risks

• Research of news production for understanding the methodologies used in collecting information and reporting on domestic violence among LGBT community

Method

The research employed the following criteria for the identification of literature that is to be included:

• Behaviors and definitions that is most relevant in the context of Australia: domestic, assault, sexual violence intimate partner and family violence

• Studies involved in the exploration of media representation, production, domestic violence among LGBT and reception as the major thematic areas

• The research systematically searched databases such as Scopus, PubMed, and ProQuest. Google was used in searching for non-peer reviewed reports and media articles

Results

In the area of media representation, the study identified 60 primary studies, which were published not earlier than 2010. Majority of the studies were conducted in Australia, Russia, the UK, and United States. News articles were the most common type of media analyzed. Out of the 60 primary studies, the study assessed 50 as being of high quality, six were of moderate quality, and four were of low quality.

There were different major themes illustrating the way the media portrayed domestic violence among LGBT including:

• Failing to report the social context in which domestic violence in gay relationships occur

• Sensationalizing stories using language or through disproportionate focus on stories fitting new values

• Perpetuation of misrepresentation and myths

• Direct or indirect shift of blame from the perpetrators of violence and assigning responsbility from violence to victims

• High dependence on law enforcement as expert voices on domestic violence

In the area of audience reception, the research identified 13 primary studies, which were from the United States. These studies covered the effects on audience in terms of attribution of responsibility and emotional responses. Three studies examined the relationship between intimate partner violence, incidence, and televised media. The findings from these studies illustrated major themes on the perception of the audience and interpretation of media portrayals of domestic violence among LGBT including how:

• Emotional response among audience and attribution of responsibility was affected and manipulated by the framing techniques used by the media

• Rape myths affected the attitudes about domestic violence perpetrators

• Language and image moderates responses among audience

• Media effects intersect with underlying cultural issues and prior understanding of domestic violence among the LGBT community

Research methods

The research will embrace both qualitative and quantitative approaches in the analysis of the media content to answer the research questions. Quantitative data will be collected through content analysis while frame analysis will be used in the collection of qualitative data. Through content analysis, the study made replicable and valid inferences through an interpretation and coding of textual materials (Stemler, 2001). Content analysis enables systematic evaluation of texts through which it became possible to convert qualitative data into quantitative data in the assessment of the representation of domestic violence among LGBT in the media content. Content analysis was used as a valuable research methodology that allowed the recovery and examination of different aspect related to stakeholder perception, societal trends and organizational behaviour. Through content analysis, it was possible to analyse perceptual construct and socio-cognitive aspects that are relatively difficult to study through traditional quantitative archival methodologies. Furthermore, content analysis also allowed the research to gain larger samples whose employment was relatively difficult in purely qualitative studies.

The concept of frame analysis provided an agenda setting tradition that expanded the research by focusing on essential issues regarding the role of the media in detailing the role of the media in handling domestic violence issues among LGBT community (Scheufele, 1999). Through frame analysis, it became possible to assess the techniques used by the media in focusing its attention within the specific field of interest. Essentially, frame analysis suggests the techniques used by the media in presenting have an influence on the choices that people make on how to process information provided.

Inasmuch as the techniques to studies of the role of the media in presenting domestic violence among LGBT was informed by a plethora of theoretical approaches, all these studies engaged content and frame analytical approaches (Mogashoa, 2014). In this study content analysis was considered as the set of methodologies used in the organization and understanding of the collected data. Through the quantitative approach of content analysis, it was possible to compare and count text based data. Content analysis is often used in communication and media studies because of its applicability in a wide range of texts.

This study embraced limited use of frame analysis in assessing the techniques used in framing different news events. Through frame analysis, it was possible to examine the entire structure of a story for the generation of meaning. This was through an analysis of the choice of words, phrases, and images used. Through frame analysis, it became possible to assess how these choices influenced the perception of the audience about the topic in question (Pan & Kosicki, 1993).

The research systematically searched databases such as Scopus, which is a bibliographic database that is characterized by scientific, humanities, arts, and social sciences, technical and medical. , PubMed was used in accessing the Medline database to acquire abstracts and references on biomedical topics and life sciences. ProQuest was used as a database for accessing peer-reviewed literature. Google was used in searching for non-peer reviewed reports and media articles. The process of identifying studies related to media representation, influence and production, subject headings and keywords were searched using the phrase domestic violence among LGBT.

Outline

1. Introduction

1. Introduces the analysis of domestic violence among LGBT

2. Provides a thesis statement

2. Research methods

1. Discusses the methodology

1. Content analysis

2. Frame analysis

3. Literature review

1. Critical analysis of media articles and reports

4. Results/findings

5. Discussion and limitations

6. Conclusion

Literature review

According to Glass (2014), domestic violence and abuse, that comprises partner abuse and violence that is characterized by a pattern of behaviour among intimate partners or former partners who attempt to establish control over the thoughts, actions, and beliefs of their partners. These include physical, sexual, financial, and psychological abuse.

According to existing studies, there has been an increase in the incidents of domestic violence affecting the LGBT community. However, the popularity and the availability of this information have been affected by underreporting and limited acknowledgement of LGBT violence on different media platforms (Bagshaw & Chung, 2000). In the contemporary society, domestic violence especially among the gay community has been considered as salient epidemic. This is despite the increasing attention that has been provided on the issue of the rights of the LGBT community through legislations (BDVS, 2017)

Despite these legislations, Constable et al (2011), the gay community is still facing barriers related to the provision and accessibility of basic help when reporting incidences related to domestic violence by intimate partners. According to report by the National Coalition and Anti-Violence program (NCAVP), domestic violence survivors from the gay community have been denies services and in some instances subjected to domestic violence whenever they reported violence (Skehan & Pirkis, 2006). This report indicates that more than 50% of those who sought access for emergency shelter were denied services while about 25% faced hostilities and indifferences from law enforcing agencies (Frank, 2017). In some instances, these survivors were arrested after reporting the incidences and this discouraged the individual from engaging in the acquisition of effective justice (Tranchese & Zollo, 2013).

According to Gannoni and Cussen, (2014), domestic violence among the gay community includes partner violence, which affects the wellbeing of the survivor. This is because the abuser establishes some element of control over their subjects. Furthermore, increasingly demoralizing aspects among the gay community are the underlying cultural aspects (Sampert, 2010). From an international perspective, the media is increasingly facing the challenge of expressing the sentiments of the gay community because of the underlying social and cultural barriers (Hunter, 2006) (Roberto et al, 2013). In countries such as Russia, there have been legislations that ban the distribution of information on LGBT communities. Such legislations authorize discrimination based on sexual orientation. The passage of such legislations coincides with ratcheting up of homophobic rhetoric in media platforms and an increase in homophobic violence in different countries (Vives-Cases et al, 2009).

In a country such as Russia, there has been an upsurge in attacks by individuals and vigilante groups against the LGBT community since 2015. These tacks have also been directed towards LGBT activists in the justification of mounting campaigns of harassment and intimidation among members of this community. Through such legislations, it has become relatively difficult for different media platforms to be able to sensitize the public on issues related to domestic violence against the gay community (Keam & Cook, 2016).

The role of the media is to provide the public with information on the rights and duties of the public towards the gay community. This is through an elaboration of different platforms that can use in voicing the desires of the public on domestic violence related issues (Irwin, 2008). Different countries through their law enforcement agencies have the tools of prosecuting homophobic violence, but they appear to be unwilling to execute this responsbility among the leaders (Jeffries & Ball, 2008) (Ryan et al, 2006). Other than isolated investigations, these governments have engaged limited efforts in addressing domestic violence issues among LGBT. Instead of engaging in public denunciation of domestic violence among members of the LGBT community, Russia leadership, through the media has increasingly remained silent (Waterhouse-Watson, 2012). This explains the increase in the level of engagement among public officials in engaging in explicit anti-LGBT hate speech. The inaction of the media and the government has continued the perpetuation of the cycle of discrimination and harassment against the gay community (Moore, 2017). Furthermore, it is contravention with the obligation of governments under domestic law and the treatise of international human rights law, which is charged with the obligation of protecting all people including LGBT from any form of violence or discrimination (O’Halloran, 2015). Domestic violence among members of the LGBT community is considered relatively unique because existing societal and cultural barriers have resulted in underreporting of the incidences (Keam & Cook, 2016).

The media is increasingly recognized by governments and in national policy documents as priority area for action in dealing with issues of domestic violence against the LGBT community (Gillespie et al, 2013). Through legislation and policies from the Council of Australian government, there have been efforts directed towards improving the techniques used by the media in addressing issues of domestic violence (White Ribbon, 2017). The consideration of the media as a priority are in primary prevention and management of domestic violence emanates from the understanding that it has the potential of influencing public understanding of violence among members of the gay community (Bullock, 2010). News and information media play an essential role in shaping public discourse considering that they provide reports on current events while providing a framework for their interpretation (Carlyle et al, 2014). Inasmuch as it is not possible to considerate audience of news media to be passive recipients of information, the choice of the news items and their portrayal can be profound in influencing behavior, attitudes, and beliefs (Cripps & Davis, 2012) (Our Watch, 2014). Inasmuch as there is a vast repository of the influence generated by research investigating media, there no simple techniques of explaining how or why news audience are influenced by news items that they see, hear or read (Child and Family Services, 2011). This is an indication that the influence of media can be conceptualized as a complex process that involves a plethora of players, sources, and audiences (Domestic Violence Death Review Team, 2015). Structuring of information is therefore critical in increasing or diminishing public understanding of the nature of domestic violence among members of the LGBT community especially in gay relationships (Bou-Franch, 2013). Through such structuring, it becomes important to understand the place of the media in a highly contextualized society (Oxman-Martinez et al, 2009).

Despite its role in providing essential information about the nature and prevalence of domestic violence among the LGBT community, the media has been accused of selective reporting of the underlying issues that affecting the dynamics of intimate partner violence (Brossoie et al, 2012). Despite this challenge that media has also been an effective player in providing findings of studies on the effects of domestic violence among members of the gay community (Seelau & Seelau, 2005). Through such studies, domestic violence has been considered as one of the main causes of harm and injuries that surpass the physical. These injuries leave victims terrorized and traumatized and this has been considered as the main cause of an increase in misplaced guilt and self-loathing especially among the victims (Taft et al, 2001). According to existing media reports, domestic violence, especially among the LGBT when unreported or mishandled may manifest itself as active or passive self-destructive behavior (Vickers, 1996).

Loopholes to be addressed on media representation of domestic violence among LGBT

• Why does the media fail to reports the social context in which domestic violence in gay relationships occur?

• What is the contribution of sensationalizing stories using language or through disproportionate focus on stories fitting new values affect media representation of domestic violence among LGBT?

• How does the media perpetuate misrepresentation and myths about domestic violence in gay relationships?

• What is the role of the media in direct or indirect shift of blame from the perpetrators of violence and assigning responsbility from violence to victims?

• How do media effects intersect with underlying cultural issues and prior understanding of domestic violence among the LGBT community?

Results

In the area of media representation, the study identified 60 primary studies, which were published not earlier than 2010. Majority of the studies were conducted in Australia, Russia, the UK, and United States. News articles were the most common type of media analyzed. Out of the 60 primary studies, the study assessed 50 as being of high quality, six were of moderate quality, and four were of low quality.

In the area of audience reception, the research identified 13 primary studies, which were from the United States. These studies covered the effects on audience in terms of attribution of responsibility and emotional responses. Three studies examined the relationship between intimate partner violence, incidence, and televised media.

This study will present common themes as separate entities despite the understanding that most of these themes share common elements hence they should not be considered as mutually exclusive. From the study, it was evident that overly sensational news frames often minimized the social context involving domestic violence among LGBTs while generating more focus on isolated incidents (Quadara & Wall, 2012). Likewise, event based reporting was characterized by frequent intersection with perceptions of responsbility and blame. This facilitated shifting of focus from the perpetrators of violence (Chan, 2005). The research also developed the realization that journalist tended to rely on law enforcement agencies as their sources of information (Rao, 2014). This resulted in the generation of details about members of the LGBT community that inadvertently placed their demeanor, behavior, or conduct as a major contributor to the nature of domestic violence perpetuated against them (Bagshaw & Chung, 2000).

Outcomes of the content analysis

About 70% of research on domestic violence among members of the LGBT community in information and news media was generated from traditional media especially newspaper articles. There were also studies from social and digital media, which were identified, reviewed and analyzed in relation to the role of media in portraying domestic violence among the gay members of the LGBT community as their appeared in new and information media. There are numerous reasons why studies involved in the exploration of media representation of domestic violence in the LGBT community are dominated by analysis of news articles. In Australia and in other countries, news articles command high trust levels as authentic and credible sources of information (Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault, 2013). In the generation of its findings, the research used multiple media platforms such as blogs, webcasts, and news articles. Furthermore, the study also engaged user-driven content from varieties of online news sites as critical sources from citizen journalists.

Forms of violence

In the investigation of media representation, the study assessed numerous forms of domestic violence among the gay community including sexual assault, intimate partner homicide, rape, emotional abuse and physical abuse (ACON, 2017). Throughout the research, it was noticeable that there were studies that were involved in selective analysis of domestic violence and this was critical in generating data essential in comparing styles of reporting (Appleby, 2001). These studies were inclusive of media reports of violence perpetuated by intimate partners in gay relationships.

In fourteen out of the 60 primary studies that only focused on a single form of violence, murder of an intimate partner was the most frequent topic. In most literature, this was referred to as intimate partner homicide. The study was involved in the exploration of media portrayals of sexual violence among members of the gay community. These studies were involved in the investigation of media reporting of intimate members of a gay relationship as perpetrators of sexual violence (Naylor, 2001). Ten studies focused on the role of the media in reporting cases questioning rape allegations. This is especially in situations where such allegations were considered false or unfounded.

Frames the media used to represent domestic violence among LGBT community

Social context

One of the common features in about 25% the findings of this study was that reports in the media reporting on domestic violence against LGBT community were highly skewed towards episodic framing or event based reporting. This is because the media reports were primarily focusing on discrete incidents or events located in specific places while ignoring the overreaching social context in which domestic violence among members of the gay community occurs (Chappell, 2001). Social context comprises the way of reporting social factors of the crime. For instance, that domestic violence perpetuated in gay relationships is rooted in the social phenomenon of the cultural aspect defining LGBT (VicHealth, 2007). Framing of stories has an impact on the way audience of different news media assign responsbility. Event based reporting often-illicit individualist instead of societal attributions to responsbility. Thematic framing which comprises a plethora of social factors of crime generates an opposite impact. Inasmuch as there are numerous techniques that can be used in framing new stories of domestic violence among members of the LGBT community, which include the provision of statistics on the extent of the problem, there is limited expert analysis about the social phenomenon of same sex relationships (Collins, 2002).

Homicide in domestic violence in LGBT relationships

From ten of the primary studies, it is evident that there was failure of presenting murder in the context domestic violence among the LGBT community. News articles seldom documented engaged in the documentation of a history of domestic violence by perpetrators. They overzealously focus on the methodology rather than the cause as if it was of more essential for the audience to know how instead of why members of LGBT community engaged in domestic violence kills their partners (White Ribbon, 2017). The articles that framed homicide as murder of intimate partner violence were more likely to provide information for those experiencing domestic violence on where to seek help despite this occurring in news articles. Reports framing murder within intimate relationships as part of domestic violence engaged the input of advocates as sources of information on the nature of the crime while also including information for readers about safe places that those suffering from domestic violence to go if they need help (Flood, 2006).

From ten of the primary studies event based framing was evident in first reports and breaking news of homicide in follow up stories. While one of the studies explored traditional news media, its findings were pertinent considering the proliferation of online news platforms with invested commercial interests in breaking news (Cook, 2009) (Schembri, 2002). An increase in demand for shorter pieces of information is less compatible with the reporting approaches used in placing domestic violence among members of the LGBT community within a broader social perspective (Cruz, 2003). There eight studies that were involved in the analysis of news reports of different forms of sexual violence across different media platforms within the UK (Constable et al, 2011). Online news stories provided limited in-depth analysis of sexual violence compared to printed format in the traditional context (Rubin & Babbie, 2016).

Reporting domestic violence within a broader social context

About 10% of primary studies involved in the exploration media representations of different forms of domestic violence among those in gay relationships among the LGBT community found preponderance of event based reporting (Dwyer & Hotten, 2009). In these studies, contributions by readers to online news platforms perceived domestic violence in the LGBT community as individual problems (Saroca, 2013). Despite these studies asserting the role of citizen journalists, they support the assumptions that social and other online media platforms mirror the myths and stereotypical connotations appearing in traditional media platforms (Dwyer, 2004). In most of these studies limited focus was provide to the plights of those facing domestic violence in gay relationships because of the underlying cultural and religious demands (Flood, 2006). In cultural and religious societies such as the Arabian Gulf states limited focus was given to issues related to domestic violence in LGBT communities because it was taboo for members of those communities to be involved in such relationships (Ristock, 2011) (Iyengar & Simon, 1993). In such societies, the state did not have provisions for accommodating the rights of such members because they were considered to be in contravention with the law (Hunter, 2006).

There two articles involved in the examination of media reporting of emotional abuse, suggesting event based framing was used in positioning domestic violence in LGBT relationships as an anomaly in the society (Gannoni & Cussen, 2014). According to these studies, the media reports left readers with the impression that any form of abuse emanating from domestic violence was not part of everyday life for those in gay relationships (Judd & Easteal, 2013). Media representation of domestic violence among those in gay relationships was typical anomalous events in need of further explorations (Gadd et al, 2003).

Comparing reports by news media on other issues

Event based framing in news reports are not unique occurrences in media coverage of domestic violence in LGBT community (Renzetti & Miley, 2014). In this research, there were primary studies on media representation on suicide rates and mental illnesses indicate that news media are often involved in typical highlighting of specific aspects of such events while ignoring the existing patterns of risks that may be helpful in providing explanations about these events (Frank, 2017).

Sensationalism

A major thematic area emerging from the reviews was the frequency in which new stories of domestic violence among the LGBT community was sensationalized. Sensationalism is the capacity of provoking attention or arousing certain emotional responses in audiences (Grabe et al, 2001) (Tranchese & Zollo, 2013). Inasmuch as such reporting is open to some level of subjectivity, they direct the thoughts of the audience through the language omitted or used (Reg & Ron, 2017). Media reports on one of the most salacious aspects of domestic violence among the LGBT community are essential in providing the audience with a more proactive but less representative perspective (Irwin, 2008) (Moffitt et al, 2013).

Sensationalism occurs because of the imperative of filling the daily news with information capable of capturing public attention. In the view of Sweeney (2012), this explains why issues of domestic violence receive scant attention. Furthermore, is defined by a murder centric considering homicide related cases by intimate partners take precedence over news reports on other forms of domestic violence (Itzin, 2000). The problem is that such an approach to media reporting may result in erroneous assumption in the community that domestic violence in LGBT community often ends in death (Keam & Cook, 2016).

Ten out of the thirteen primary studies focused on the techniques through which language is used in representing sensationalized stories and leading to the consensus that exceptional and sensational language is commonly used in media reports of domestic violence in gay relationships (Kimmel, 2002) (McManus & Dorfman, 2005). In the studies by Jackson (2012), the use of sensational language in media, reporting provided a description of the crime cases that were relatively difficult to comprehend (Laing, 2000). In some cases there were media reports using animal metaphors in the description of perpetrators (Jeffries & Ball, 2008) (Marhia, 2008). This included phrases such as beast and nocturnal in the description of behavior. Media reporting using language was also used in the obfuscation of the true nature of crime (Kuehnle & Sullivan, 2003). In the analysis of homicide cases perpetrated by intimate partners, four studies used the term sex assault was a deliberate lexical choice of numerous journalist and editors (Moore, 2017). Such choice of language is effective in the perpetuation of the myth of the analogous relationship between violence and sex yet ignoring the nature of domestic violence inherent in the act (Perilla et al, 2003) (Lewis et al, 2008).

Blame and responsbility

The techniques used by news and information media in the construction of stories that had a direct or indirect attribution with blame or assigned responsbility for domestic violence (O’Halloran, 2015). According to fives primary studies, media reports are involved in victim blaming which focuses on the circumstances of portraying victims of a crime to make it appear that they have some responsbility for the violence committed against them (Murray, 2005). About 35% of media reports on domestic violence among the gay community showed that attributing blame and assigning responsbility played a mediatory role in passing biased messages (Lindsay-Brisbin et al, 2014). The promulgation of such stories was in the structure, the order and the kind of language used in the description of the incidents (Mulroney & Chan, 2005) (Machlin et al, 2012). By attributing blame and assigning responsbility media reports shift blame from the perpetrators to the victims (Mulroney, 2003) (Worthington, 2005). A major barrier to the relaxation of substantial social change when addressing issues related to the LGBT community are in the techniques used by the media in sustaining the myth that the victims of domestic violence were responsible for the use of violence by the perpetrators (Muehlenhard & Kimes, 1999).

Discussion

The main question is whether there is a possibility of modifying the nature of Australian news production and the nature of reporting on domestic violence among the gay couples in the LGBT community. Based on the evidence presented on this research paper, the success of such an initiative is dependent on the methodologies of facilitation. While attempting to respond to existing evidence different countries have been involved in the development of media guidelines, which encourage responsible, sensitive, and ethical reporting of domestic violence among members of the LGBT community (Weiner, 1980). In Australian government has been able to implement policies that allow journalists to access different policies that enable objective reporting. The Australian Institute of Family studies has been instrumental in the development of the sexual violence research program, which provides guidelines on how to ensure effective reporting of domestic violence in gay relationships. Despite the existences of these guidelines, there have been limited monitoring and evaluation of the extent to which journalist have been able to demonstrate awareness and engaged in effective use of these guidelines while reporting.

The Australian government has been able to develop the mainframe media and mental health project, which has been effective in providing practice template in the development, dissemination and support journalists in understanding and using guidelines in the reporting of domestic violence related issues. Through this project, it has been possible ensure that collaboration between different media houses is vital in providing trustworthy and objective reporting on domestic violence among members of the LGBT community. Through this project, it has become possible to assess the extent to which journalist guidelines have been instrumental in influencing the practice of journalism. This will affect the extent to which dissemination of information impacts on intake of information. The role played by survivors of domestic violence in guiding the practices of journalist is also critical in ensuring the dissemination of objective information when reporting on domestic violence related issues.

From the articles, one of the challenges identified is that communicating information about domestic violence among the LGBT community, as a social problem does not provide an easy fit with the expectations of what comprises news. Targeting media using prescriptive media guidelines may not be the best approach in the realization of changes in mainstream media reporting (Franiuk et al, 2008). . Even in the established areas of media and suicide, scholars have been led to the realization that media guidelines or certain elements that comprise these guidelines are not always interpreted easily (Machlin et al, 2012). This explains the underlying importance of exploring other avenues in effecting change especially through targeted dissemination of information (Exner & Thurston, 2009).

Since newsmakers are facing increasing competition to ensure that they cover all pertinent stories, news items generated from public relations are becoming influential in the ability of journalists to gather and report practices. The content of news draw much influence from those outside formal news organizations (National Union of Journalist, 2013). Heavy reliance on the perspectives of law enforcement and criminal justice in issues on domestic violence among the LGBT community is a reflection of higher engagement of these sectors with outlets in media platforms (Palazzolo & Roberto, 2011). Within Australia, law enforcement agencies manage media communication teams in the coordination of media conferences and issuing press releases (Morgan & Politoff, 2012). In some Australian states, media organizations have a platform of subscribing for the reception of daily media releases. The NSW Police Force issues more than dozens of press releases daily. Law enforcement agencies provide accessible and large output on crime related issues of which domestic violence among members of LGBT is one of them (Spittal & Pirkis, 2012). Countering police frame is important in increasing media output of news reporting by agencies with the ability of providing expert input to ensure that news items address issues of domestic violence among LGBT as a broader social problem (McGuiness, 2008) (Chung, 2013). Domestic violence against members of the LGBT community is a topic that news organizations are increasingly required to cover in the propagation of their role in media advocacy (Council of Australian Governments, 2011). News and information media are apparatus that could have been utilized by different players in understanding the social problem (Easteal et al, 2015).

Limitations of the study

This research paper deliberately focuses on the portrayal of domestic violence among LGBT community in information and news media. This research paper did not include any primary studies on domestic violence of LGBT community in films, entertainment, films, plays, and video games. Studies that considered the methodologies used by entertainment media depicting domestic violence within the gay community would have been important in this review. Unlike the mediated messages in the news, an effective understanding of the effects of the media and interventions for the promotion of responsible depiction of violence in LGBT community in entertainment media is not well developed.

The study was not successful in searching for media representations of some forms of domestic violence among LGBT such as human trafficking, honor crimes and forced marriages. These forms of violence are less representative of the context of the types of violence experienced in LGBT relationships.

There is need for future research initiatives in the examination of diverse cultural aspects used in interpreting and engaging with media reporting on domestic violence against members of the LGBT community from their own community.

Conclusion

The contemporary society is highly mediated making it possible for all forms of media to reach more people. From the sources used in this study, the media has an unprecedented capacity of influencing public perception that domestic violence among members of the LGBT community is neither acceptable nor exceptional. There are numerous factors influencing public perceptions on issues of domestic violence among members of the LGBT community. This research paper was involved in the examination of the role of news media in shaping the discourse on matters of public importance. Through the media representation studies, the media mirrors the conducing and ambivalence on issues related to the LGBT community. Despite the existence of limited association between behavior and media reporting, studies on issues of audience influence indicate that media can be influential in reinforcing information and dispelling the myths about the extent and the true nature of the problem.

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