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Media Analysis: Sexual Assault on Campus
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Media Analysis: Sexual Assault on Campus
The media presents a highly diverse image of sexual assault in different contexts. The
portrayal of sexual assault in colleges is an interestingly underexplored topic in the
mainstream and social media. In recent years, however, the discussions on sexual assault in
colleges through such acts as rape, sexual deviancy and anti-social sexual beliefs have
become more commonplace in the media. Despite the discussions on sexual assault in the
media, there is minimal literature or discussion on the theories relating to sexual assault in the
college setting. Informed by this background of information, the current paper analyses the
coverage of this topic in the media, including academic journals, newspapers, books and
websites.
Often professional websites seek to understand and create awareness of sexual assault
in colleges. The publication of what sexual assault is and why it happens is one area explored
by this media form. According to an article published in the Best Colleges professional
website on ‘Understanding Sexual Assault on College Campuses, the authors first provide an
approximate statistic of how many people are affected by sexual assault on a college campus
annually. Providing this statistic sets the pace for the discussion of the topic by explaining the
extent to which it affects the population at large. Such presentations by the media allow
readers to look at sexual assault in the context of the impact it has on society at large and not
just the victims.
An article by the American Association of University Women (AAWU) dubs sexual
assault on campus as ‘an underreported problem.’ The definition of sexual assault as an
underreported problem provides the perspective that there is so much that needs to be said
about the topic, yet little is said about it by relevant bodies. This website article presents that
the primary cause of underreported sexual misconduct in college is the fear instilled into the
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victims, who are, most often, young women (AAWU, 2023). Such portrayal of the topic
through this perspective allows the reader to see the extent to which a major problem is
shunned and unrecognized as a major issue in the community. According to the AAWU
article, despite numerous academic and professional studies finding high rates of sexual
assault in colleges, up to 89% of colleges across the United States report having zero
incidences of rape and other forms of sexual assault. The positions in this article are further
supported by the biblical scripture, 1 Corinthians 6:18 ESV, which indicates that one must flee
from immorality; for who sins through sexual immorality has committed sin against his own body.
This scripture fits in this context in that it speaks against the oppression of others sexually, not just
because of how it affects the victim directly, but how it affects the perpetrator in the eyes of the lord,
then and in the long run through their lives and in the sanctity of their body.
In a similar media presentation on this topic, the Guardian newspaper published an
article on ‘Another reckoning over sexual assault in U.S colleges; officials must listen.’ In
this article published in 2021, the newspaper highlighted the Skidmore College demonstration
of 2021, where over three hundred college students (male and female) walked through the
college streets, speaking of the various forms of sexual oppression they go through in the
hands of administrators within the college. In an article addressing similar issues, Fedina,
Holmes & Backes (2016) published an article in the National Institute of Justice Journal
speaking on the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses across the United States. In
this journal article, the scholars speak on the short and long-term effects of sexual assault on
the young college-going victims who experience it. In the conclusion of their article, the
scholars present a call to action for the media and government to promote better reporting of
such incidents to provide power to the victims to share their experiences with the relevant
authorities.
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In the book ‘Lad Culture in Higher Education: Sexism, Sexual Harassment and
Violence,’ Carolyn Jackson and Vanita Sundaram dissect the ‘frat boy’ and ‘lad’ cultures in
the United States and Britain colleges, respectively, and how they have influenced the spread
of sexual abuse and oppression in these college settings. In their book, the authors explore the
theories related to sexual assault in colleges, how it can be reduced, and the possible
detrimental outcomes of the same to the victims and those around them. Through doing this,
sexual assault is theorized and becomes better understood by the reader in a way newspapers
and professional websites have failed to.
In conclusion, the discussion of sexual assault in colleges is improving but is still
interestingly underexplored. Newspapers, websites, books and journal articles that have
already been published enlighten readers on this topic from different perspectives and create a
bigger picture into the understanding of the extent of this problem in American colleges.
However, of these media discussions, authors in books and academic journals provide a more
insightful reporting on the topic in that they speak on various aspects of the topic, and not just
one catchy sub-topic of the issue that will attract more readership.
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References
American Association of University Women. (2023). An Underreported Problem: Campus
Sexual Misconduct. https://www.aauw.org/resources/article/underreported-sexual-
misconduct/
Donegan, M., Another Reckoning over Sexual Assault in U.S. Colleges, is Starting: Officials
Must Listen. The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/oct/31/sexual-assault-us-colleges-
officials-must-listen
Fedina, L., Holmes, J. L., & Backes, B. (2016). How prevalent is campus sexual assault in the
United States? National Institute of Justice, 277, 26-30.
https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/249827.pdf
Jackson, C., & Sundaram, V. (2020). Lad culture in higher education: Sexism, sexual
harassment and violence. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203702901
Muniz, H. (2022). Understanding Sexual Assault on College Campuses. Best Colleges.
https://www.bestcolleges.com/resources/sexual-assault-on-campus/
