Cyber-Bullying Portrayals in the News Media

Cyber-bullying is a phenomenon that is widely studied. Researches have examined the characteristics of perpetrators and victims, impacts of cyber-bullying on both the victims and offenders, the development and application of law and the development of programs to stem cyber-bullying. Despite a great amount of research dedicated to these aforementioned areas, studies examining the portrayal of cyber-bullying by news media outlets are rare. An understanding of this portrayal is important as the news media is a significant source of public opinions about a vast array of topics in society. As such, the goal of the present research is to provide both a quantitative and qualitative understanding of the ways in which newspaper articles discuss the phenomenon of cyber-bullying among middle school students in the United States.