ANALYSIS OF FEMICIDE CASES: HOW MEDIA DISCOURSE CHANGES SOCIAL OPINION

Abstract

This final course project aims to analyze two headlines about femicide cases and how the media presents them to readers. The murders occurred in Turkey in 2020 and in Minnesota, USA, in 2025. Both cases were reported by the international newspaper The Sun, and despite the five-year time gap, they share similar narrative aspects. Furthermore, elements of textuality such as intentionality, situationality, and presupposition will be used for a better understanding of what was conveyed to the reader by the journalistic publication. To this purpose, the work Histórias de Morte Matada Contadas Feito Morte Morrida, by Oliveira (2021), which narrates stories of femicide and how the media reports them, was used; as well as Critical Discourse Analysis: The Critical Study of Language, by Fairclough (1995), and Critical Discourse Analysis, by Huckin (1997), which presents important concepts for investigating critical aspects of language. The results found in this study relate to how news is presented to the public and how it opens the door to different interpretations. Wordplay, capitalization, and a focus on the victim are highlighted, while issues related to the perpetrators are initially obscured. It is important to note that this distortion of information contributes to different understandings by readers, and the journalists who write the headlines are aware of this. In conclusion, this work presents critiques of how the media treat cases of femicide and how this directly influences public opinion, as well as opens the door to possible social interference from readers.