The Biased Representation of Criminality in Terms of Referentiality

Abstract

Mass-media are known for their representation function rather than their statement function as newspapers are means where reporting is the main activity. Yet, reporting presupposes an interpretation of somebody else’s doings or statements which is far from being an objective perspective. Influenced by either personal factors (age, gender, education, social background) or institutional ones (editorial policy, political orientation) newspapers adopt certain biased attitudes. Gender is one of the elements likely to be represented in a biased way. And when gender is added to the label ‘criminal’, biased representation is yet another situation that needs analysis. As this is the background of the research, the study compares the referential chains of two law-breakers in order to identify the existence, if any, of a different approach in the representation of male and female criminals.