Calls for change to rape coverage

[25th February 2008]

A Home Office funded study has found that media representations of rape are damaging conviction rates in court.

The reported, entitled 'Just Representations? Press Reporting and the Reality of Rape', found that selective and sensational reporting of rape cases has distorted public perceptions about rape.

The study identified that the press construct a myth of rape that women are most at risk of being raped by a sexual predator while walking alone in dark or remote areas. In fact, more than 80% of rapes in the UK are by men known to the victim, and just 13% occur in public places.

To read the full story, visit the Independent's website.

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