Research student

Zara Saunders

Thesis Title: A history of sexual assault reporting in The Age, 2011-2021

Supervisors: Dr Jessica Lake (Principal Supervisor), Professor Susan Broomhall (Co-Supervisor)

Thesis abstract: This thesis examines Australian print media representations of sexual assault in the twenty-first century. This research, grounded methodologically in cultural history theory and historical newspaper analysis, seeks to understand how The Age print newspaper framed incidents and discussed issues relating to sexual assault in Australia between 2011 and 2021. It considers the role of The Age in shaping its readership's understanding of issues of sexual assault, consent, and child sexual abuse. This thesis contributes to media and cultural history by providing historiographical insights into Australian media representations of sexual assault during a recent period of rapid social, cultural, and legal change.