A textual analysis of feminist journalism coverage of the #MeToo movement in Ms. and Jezebel
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Since October 2017, many people have shared their experiences as sexual assault survivors on social media using #MeToo, and the #MeToo movement has been covered extensively by media outlets. The purpose of this qualitative study is to use textual analysis to examine the coverage of the #MeToo movement in two feminist journalism publications Ms. and Jezebel in order to explore how that coverage is intersectional in its depictions of the movement and the thematic narratives that it promotes about sexual assault survivors and perpetrators. The results of the study indicate that both outlets' coverage of the movement and narratives about survivors and perpetrators were, at times, very intersectional in how attention was given to expanding the movement well beyond Hollywood and challenging the broader systems and societal beliefs that perpetuate the prevalence of sexual violence. However, by detailing how the coverage was distributed across the first four years of the movement, this study reveals that there were gaps in both outlets' coverage where the reporting did not critically evaluate #MeToo regarding who was involved in the movement, what the movement has accomplished and how it needs to continue to grow in order to bring about lasting change. This research informs scholarly understanding about feminist journalism's depiction of the movement and the feminist and intersectional values included or omitted by this coverage.
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M.A.