Explanatory elements of the media treatment of femicides in El Salvador

Abstract

Comparative literature has amply shown that the media's treatment of an issue has the capacity to modulate the way in which public opinion perceives it. For this reason, numerous authors at the international level have analyzed the media's treatment of gender violence and, in particular, of femicides. This article consists of a first qualitative approach to this phenomenon in El Salvador and describes the factors that influence the treatment of news of femicides by digital media in the country according to the journalists themselves. Specifically, interviews were conducted with 12 journalists from 7 media outlets and 2 experts in gender perspective. The results indicate that some elements that influence the way in which feminicidal violence is presented in the media are the types of journalistic approach, the presence of women with a gender perspective in positions of power and the training of journalists. The article concludes with a proposal of measures to be adopted to ensure a media treatment of violence from a gender perspective.