Media coverage of violence against women reaches ‘dismal’ low, report finds

2026-04-17 · Source: AI (artificial intelligence) | The Guardian · Field: Media & Entertainment — Publishing & Journalism, Digital Media & Streaming, Content Creation & Production · Depth: Novice, medium

Summary

A new report reveals that media coverage of violence against women and girls, and misogynistic harassment, has reached a "pitiful" low, despite a rise in high-profile abuse cases and AI-assisted violence. An analysis of 1.14 billion online stories published globally between 2017 and 2025 found that articles including terms related to misogynistic abuse dropped to 1.3% of all global online news in 2025, the lowest level in that period, peaking at 2.2% in 2018 during the #MeToo movement. Specifically, in nearly 1 million Jeffrey Epstein-related articles, the term "violence against women" appeared in only 0.1%, while "victims" was mentioned in 25% and "power," "money," "elites," or "corruption" in 26%. The report also highlights that men's perspectives dominate coverage, with 1.5 men quoted for every woman in misogyny stories, and a significant increase in the use of the term "gender ideology" by a factor of 42 between 2020 and 2025.

Key takeaway

For journalists and editors covering gender-based violence, you should prioritize integrating a gender-inequality lens into your reporting to uncover root causes rather than just symptoms. Actively seek out and amplify women's voices, ensuring that victims and survivors are central to the narrative. This approach is crucial for shifting public discourse and addressing the structural nature of misogyny that enables abuse, especially in high-profile cases.

Key insights

Global online news coverage of violence against women is critically low, failing to address root causes and structural misogyny.

Principles

• Media coverage shapes public discourse.
• Gender inequality enables abuse of power.

Method

The report analyzed 1.14 billion online stories from 2017-2025, tracking specific misogyny-related terms and examining quotation gender ratios, including a deep dive into Epstein-related coverage.

In practice

• Prioritize female journalists and editors.
• Center victims' and survivors' narratives.
• Expose gender inequality in abuse reporting.

Topics

• Media Coverage Analysis
• Violence Against Women
• Misogynistic Abuse
• Jeffrey Epstein Case
• Gender Inequality

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by AI (artificial intelligence) | The Guardian.