Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/2440/136787
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Type: | Journal article |
Title: | Portraying Animal Cruelty: A Thematic Analysis of Australian News Media Reports on Penalties for Animal Cruelty |
Author: | Morton, R. Hebart, M.L. Ankeny, R.A. Whittaker, A.L. |
Citation: | Animals, 2022; 12(21):1-15 |
Publisher: | MDPI |
Issue Date: | 2022 |
ISSN: | 2076-2615 2076-2615 |
Statement of Responsibility: | Rochelle Morton, Michelle L. Hebart, Rachel A. Ankeny, and Alexandra L. Whittaker |
Abstract: | Media portrayals of animal cruelty can shape public understanding and perception of animal welfare law. Given that animal welfare law in Australia is guided partially by ‘community expectations’, the media might indirectly be influencing recent reform efforts to amend maximum penalties in Australia, through guiding and shaping public opinion. This paper reports on Australian news articles which refer to penalties for animal cruelty published between 1 June 2019 and 1 December 2019. Using the electronic database Newsbank, a total of 71 news articles were included for thematic analysis. Three contrasting themes were identified: (1) laws are not good enough; (2) laws are improving; and (3) reforms are unnecessary. We propose a penalty reform cycle to represent the relationship between themes one and two, and ‘community expectations’. The cycle is as follows: media reports on recent amendments imply that ‘laws are improving’ (theme two). Due to a range of inherent factors in the criminal justice system, harsher sentences are not handed down by the courts, resulting in media report of ‘lenient sentencing’ (theme one). Hence, the public become displeased with the penal system, forming the ‘community expectations’, which then fuel future reform efforts. Thus, the cycle continues. |
Keywords: | animal welfare; animal cruelty; news media; penalties; animal law; Facebook |
Rights: | © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
DOI: | 10.3390/ani12212918 |
Published version: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/21/2918 |
Appears in Collections: | Animal and Veterinary Sciences publications |
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hdl_136787.pdf | Published version | 409.53 kB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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