Fernandez Soto 1 Katia Fernandez Soto Dr.

Erin Dietel-Mclaughin Writing and Rhetoric 13200 11 November 2011 Importance of an Audience: The Media Defines Child Abuse Media content is influenced by competition for higher ratings and essentially, more viewers. The relationship between ratings and the media influencing people is also one of the most controversial areas of media activity. One such activity is reporting on childrens rights and abuses. In exposing and highlighting abuse, the media can also explore how reporting of child abuse can be improved and ways that people can identify common warning signs of abuse. By discussing on childrens right and in reporting abuses, TV news and primetime television shape their viewers definition of what child abuse means. Hindering the audiences ability to define the term of child abuse causes confusion and ultimately leads to failure in reporting and convicting child abuse cases. Because the media is constantly competing for the most viewers, news, websites, TV shows, and movies portray a wide range of what constitutes to child abuse and the common signs of child abuse. By incorporating millions of peoples views of the term child abuse, the media fails to convey a concise and clear definition of child abuse. Reporting any type of abuse is a sensitive topic but researching child abuse is among the most controversial topics of all. The media is responsible for bringing these abuses to the attention of government officials and the public, and for giving unheard children a voice. Peter McIntyre, a member of the International Federation of Journalists, describes the medias attention and action important to the children audience also (McIntyre 26).

Fernandez Soto 2 Since the ratings drives the media, objectivity in the media is considered a myth. Such is the case with TV shows, movies, websites, etc. A point of view and an audience are two important factors that, if overlooked, would be the ruin of a TV show or a movie. In An Overview of Rhetoric, James A. Herrick states that a novelist writes with particular groups of readers in mind who constitute her audience (14). Similar to Herricks novelists, authors, screenwriters, and journalists write their stories with an audience in mind. A writer wants his audience to be interested in his work and to accomplish this he shapes his argument to what the audience expects and wants. The movie In The Best Interests of The Child, directed by David Green, provides an example of this by telling the story of a desperate divorcee who risks jail on kidnapping charges when she refuses to allow her ex-husband access to their young child because she has strong reason to believe that he has been sexually abusing the child (In the Best Interest of the Child (1990)"). The creator of this movie had a specific audience in mind, namely, mothers and the female population in general. With this audience in mind, the movie attempts to touch a womans sensitive and courageous side. This movie gives the mother the attributes of a hero and a savior, which influences its audiences maternal and caring side. By attributing these characteristics to the mother, Green attends to the audiences values, experiences, beliefs, social status, and aspirations (Herrick 9). Also, in order to reach the female audience more successfully, this movie makes the bad guy the father and the good guy the mother. Greens focus on his audience make his movie vulnerable to stereotypes about women and men. The media has the ability to showcase many peoples point of views, but it also has the ability to shape these viewpoints. Because the media exploits on stereotypes and myths concerning child abuse in order to gain the most viewers and ratings, the definition of child abuse lacks conciseness and clarity. In attempt to achieve the highest ratings and audiences, the

Fernandez Soto 3 media focuses on portraying two myths that concern child abuse. The myth of classlessness implies that child abuse happens proportionately in all socioeconomic classes when in reality it happens the most in families living below the poverty line. The second media myth focuses on is the sanctity of mothers and their inability to commit the most heinous crime, of abusing their own children. By highlighting of these myths pertaining to child abuse, inadvertently or not, the media influences what its audience believes to be true aspects of child abuse and ultimately the way in which each person defines child abuse. Some people may say that the definition of child abuse is written clearly in reputable sources, especially in scholarly books.. These sources may be considered reputable based on the authors expertise on the topic but their ideas are not fixed and indisputable. Furthermore, the use of scholarly books creates the illusion that the ideas presented in their text holds the most accurate information in the topic, whereas in actuality many scholarly sources contradict each other, including those that define child abuse. This becomes evident when comparing the scholarly books, When Children Are Abused: An Educators Guide to Intervention written by Cynthia Crosson-Tower and The Children of Neglect: When No One Cares written by Margaret Smith and Rowena Fong. Crosson-Towers defines physical neglect as the failure of the childs caretaker to meet that childs basic physical needs (Crosson-Towers 21). In contrast, Smith and Fong state that there is a lack of agreement among experts in the definition of child neglect (Fong 2). Readers of Crosson-Towers book can infer that they are given the most concise and clear definition of a type of child abuse, child neglect. Contrary to Crosson-Towers audience, Smith and Fongs audience are left with the notion that child neglect is a hard concept to define and that even experts cannot do it. This contradiction in the definition of child neglect can also be extended to the definition of child abuse in general. This lack of a concise definition has

Fernandez Soto 4 limited the efforts of court systems ability to develop an effective response to the problem of child abuse. At the end of the day, networks, newspapers, websites, and other types of media compete with each other to earn the highest ratings. This competition forces these types of media to appeal to all demographics in any way necessary, as is evident when the media informs viewers on the topic of child abuse. Websites such as ReachOut.com and YesIcan.org define child abuse in the most general way. ReachOut.com defines child abuse as an act that causes a child to be hurt physically or harmed emotionally (Child Abuse). This vague definition is shared by the definition of child abuse found on the website of YesIcan.org, which defines child abuse as the bad treatment of a child (Child Abuse Definition). By describing child abuse with general terms such as hurt and bad treatment, these websites provide a generic definition that can be understood by people of all demographics and backgrounds. These websites also acknowledge that child abuse happens in all socioeconomic classes so as to avoid stereotyping a certain group as the most typical child abusers. However, by neglecting statistics about which group that has the most reports of child abuse and the most reported fatalities, these websites imply that child abuse is equally distributed in society. A respectable professor in the Univeristy of Nevada, Leroy Pelton, refutes what these websites are doing and names it The Myth of Classlessness in his book The Social Context of Child Abuse and Neglect. Based on studies data, he concludes that the vast majority of the victims of child abuse and neglect are from poor families (Pelton 21). Another author that agrees with Peltons Myth of Classlessness is George E. Fryer, Jr, author of Child Abuse and the Social Environment. He states that the single most important area of possible correlates of child maltreatment exhaustively investigated has been socioeconomic forces (Fryer 25). Fryer

Fernandez Soto 5 also bases his conclusion on studies and research done on child abuse, which show that child abuse happens more often among the population living below the poverty line (Fryer 25). This type of information is not included in the definition of ReachOut.com or YesIcan.org, which support a myth of classlessness in the instances of child abuse in order to avoid discriminating against this specific group. Society uses this myth as a means to distribute the blame for the horrific effects of child abuse to all types of people, whether rich, middle class or poor. By not specifying that poor people are more likely to abuse their children, the media avoids sacrificing a very large audience that lives below the poverty line. Scholars, who are driven by the desire to inform people and not improve ratings, can allow more objectivity. According to the US Census Bureaus 2010 census, this specific audience is makes up 50.8 percent of the American population ("USA State & County QuickFacts"). Having the highest viewing numbers is an essential part of the media business and this competition between TV networks, movies, and websites prompts the diffusion of the problem of child abuse and its definition. By avoiding the specification of a more prevalent demographic culpable of child abuse, the definition for child abuse loses an important factor, which is detrimental to the reporting of future cases pertaining to this specific demographic. Another myth the media chooses to convey in order please the largest audience is that of the nurturing mother, which portrays women as fragile, motherly, and gentle figures and men as aggressive and strong individuals. This characterization is necessary in order for the media to ensure the interest and attention of the female population and appeal to the males sense of masculinity. This situation can be identified in a TV sitcom George Lopez. In the shows pilot, George is introduced as the man of the house who works at an airplane parts factory (George Lopez: Pilot (Part 1 of 2)). His dangerous job aids Georges characterization, casting him as a

Fernandez Soto 6 strong man, filling the main provider role in the family. Georges wife, Angie, is the stereotypical female character, a housewife whose job is to take of their two children. She is the first person her children go to when they are having problems (George Lopez: Pilot (Part 1 of 2)). Identifying men as the only ones capable of aggression and physical violence creates a double gender standard. Society considers aggressive and domineering male characteristics to be acceptable when portrayed in TV show such as George Lopez, but for a female character to act aggressive and powerful it is considered unacceptable. Shows like George Lopez, I Love Lucy, The Simpsons and many others portray the working husband and doting housewife, but they fail to broaden the characteristics on these stereotypes. By setting a standard for female character to always be perceived as the maternal character, these shows neglect the sadistic and aggressive women that exist in real life. By maintaining the image of the typical woman in the media, society fails to showcase that women, too, are capable of the most horrific crimes, such as child abuse and homicide. TV shows decide to promote the current idea of the nurturing mother in order to keep 50.8 percent of the populations attention. Thus, in order to not lose prospective audiences, TV shows follow long held, yet untrue, beliefs of men as aggressive and women as maternal. By overgeneralizing male and female roles in the media, TV shows divert one important aspect of reporting child abuse, which is determining the perpetrator. These stereotypes portray women as incapable of hurting anything, least of all their own children. Women are shown taking care of their children, living for their children; they are even supposed to love their children more than themselves and do anything for them. Because of this stereotype, when a woman is accused of abusing or even killing his or her own child, the case becomes sensational national news. The most recent case that involves such woman is the tragic Casey Anthony case. Casey Anthony was accused of killing her own daughter, and her case

Fernandez Soto 7 went to national news because it was considered so unbelievable that a mother would hurt her own child (Bello, William 21). However, when it comes to the topic of child abuse, a female perpetrator is not a myth. Jackie Turton, author of Child Abuse, Gender, and Society, talks about the fact that woman can sexually abuse children just like men can. She states the assumption that until as late as 1990, it was taken as fact that all child sexual abusers were male (qtn in 8). Because of the prevalent belief in the ideal family, a womans role simply doesnt match that of an abuser. Society believes that women are not supposed to sexually abuse their children based on their lack of masculinity (Turton 9). In her book, Turton classifies women as being just as capable of abusing their own child as men are, which can be supported by recent research headed by the Childrens Bureau on Child Abuse and Neglect that reports the statistics of the most common abuse perpetrators from the years 2000 to 2009. These statistics demonstrate that mothers acting alone were more likely to maltreat their children than fathers acting alone (Child Abuse and Neglect). Based on Turton and corroborated statistics, it is proven that women are capable of doing the most horrific and obscene acts. The image of the gentle Child abuse is a sensitive topic to do research on, but it is of great value for the well being of children. Researching child abuse challenges gender, social and ethical issues and false beliefs. Eliminating popular myths will help the general population become more informed. Myths about women and the harm they can afflict on children casts doubts on the proven culpability of female perpetrators, while the myth of classlessness implies that child abuse happens proportionately in all cultures and social classes. These myths touch on a very sensitive topic that, if not discussed, would be left alone due to their atypical nature. People need to talk about this topic because if it is hushed, children are left without a voice and the acts of child abuse would go unpunished. Society has precedent for a strong government and punishment for

Fernandez Soto 8 those who break the law, but what should first be done is an examination of the hidden problems that people dont want to face or talk about, such as child abuse. Child abuse can go unnoticeable if proper measures are not taken, and its lack of definition prevents people from recognizing the most probable characteristics of child abuse, thus jeopardizing the wellbeing of an innocent child. Even though several laws are in effect right now, every state has its own distinct definition of what constitutes child abuse, and this in itself makes it harder to explain what child abuse actually is. It is impossible to catch every single case of abuse, but finding a more concise and clear definition would make the task of recognizing it far easier. It would also make the instances of falsely reported child abuse cases far less frequent. With a clear and unmistakable definition, child abuse laws would have a stronger support and evidence wouldnt be questioned.

Fernandez Soto 9 Works Cited Bello, Marisol, and William M. Welch. "How the Casey Anthony case came apart." USA Today. Gannett Company, 6 July 2011. Web. 5 Nov. 2011. <http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-07-05-Casey-Anthony-Caylee-Anthonyacquittal-murder-case-Florida_n.htm>. "Child Abuse." Reach Out Inspire USA Foundation, 6 June 2009. Web. 1 Nov. 2011. <http://us.reachout.com/facts/factsheet/child-abuse>. "Child Abuse Definition." International Child Abuse Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2011. <http://www.yesican.org/defined.html>. Crosson-Tower, Cynthia. When Children Are Abused: an Educator's Guide to Intervention. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2002. Print. George Lopez: Pilot (Part 1 of 2). Online Posting. Youtube, Feb. 17, 2011. Web. 06 November 2011. < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oxVJfLsUtk>. Fryer, George E. Child Abuse and the Social Environment. Boulder: Westview, 1993. Print. Herrick, James A. "An Overview of Rhetoric." The History and Theory of Rhetoric: an Introduction. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2001. 1-25. Print. "In the Best Interest of the Child (1990)." MSN Movies: Movie Listings, Showtimes, Movie Reviews, Trailers, Movie Clips, DVD and More . Microsoft, n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2011. <http://movies.msn.com/movies/movie-synopsis/in-the-best-interest-of-the-child/>. McIntyre, Peter. "Child Rights and The Media: Putting Children in The Right." International Federation of Journalists. European Commission, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. Pelton, Leroy H. "Child Abuse and Neglect: The Myth of Classlessness." The Social Context of Child Abuse and Neglect. New York, NY: Human Sciences, 1981. 23-38. Print.

Fernandez Soto 10 Smith, Margaret G., and Rowena Fong. The Children of Neglect: When No One Cares. New York: Brunner-Routledge, 2004. Print. Turton, Jackie. Child Abuse, Gender, and Society. New York: Routledge, 2008. Print. "USA State & County QuickFacts." U.S. Census Bureau. N.p., 13 Oct. 2011. Web. 5 Nov. 2011. <http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html>. Child Abuse and Neglect. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Childrens Bureau. (2010). Child Maltreatment 2009. Available from <www.ifj.org/assets/docs/247/254/cf73bf7c75e9fe.pdf>.http://www.acf.hhs.gov/program s/cb/stats_research/index.htm#can