Stories of violence and dementia in mainstream news media: Applying a citizenship perspective

• Published in: Dementia (London, England) Vol. 20; no. 6; pp. 2077 - 2090
• Main Authors: Herron, Rachel V, Funk, Laura M, Spencer, Dale
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.08.2021
• Subjects: Canada; dementia; news media; citizenship; violence
• ISSN: 1471-3012; 1741-2684
• DOI: 10.1177/1471301220981232

In this article, we analyze how mainstream news media frames violence in relation to dementia and the consequences of different frames for people living with dementia and their carers. Conceptually, the goal is to bring literature on citizenship and aggression into dialog with each other. Empirically, a total of 141 regional and national English-language mainstream Canadian news media articles (2008–2019) with a focus on dementia, violence, and aggression were analyzed. Analytically, we examine how different actors are portrayed as victims or perpetrators; how their histories (identities, belonging, and exclusion) are told; how dementia is used to explain events; and what types of expert knowledge and authorities are introduced to make sense of stories of violence in relationships of care. Our analysis points to the implications of media narratives for people with dementia as well as carers and researchers seeking to address stigma and call for change.