Coverage of the Rape as an Exceptional Event: An Analysis of the News on the Rape and Murder of Pippa Bacca

The overall conclusion of the studies which seek the answer of the guestion that how the violence against women and rape are discussed in the media is that the media functions to reproduce the gender roles through these news. This study aims to understand in what ways the patriarchal narrative of sexual violence and rape are recycled via press in Turkey. In accordance with this purpose, the news on the rape and murder of Italian performing artist Pippa Bacca in national and local print media are analyzed. The study reveals that the news on peace activist Pippa Bacca individualize the crime of rape by taking it out of its context, that the news story is fictionalized in order to feed the common rape myths and that the language in the news reflects a defensive national reflex related to the identity of the victim.