Competing discourses about youth sexual exploitation in Canadian news media

摘要: Media holds the power to create, maintain, or break down stigmatizing attitudes, which affect policies, funding, and services. To understand how Canadian news media depicts commercial sexual exploitation of children youth, we examined 835 newspaper articles from 1989-2008 using a mixed methods critical discourse analysis approach, comparing representations existing research about sexually exploited youth. Despite evidence that equal rates boys girls experience exploitation, depicted youth predominantly as heterosexual girls, described them alternately victims workers in trade, often both same story. News mentioned exploiters far less than victims, portrayed almost exclusively male, most called 'customers' 'consumers,' occasionally 'predators'; contrast, has documented majority report female exploiters. Few stories over past two decades diversity perpetrators, venues reported research. The focus on but not helps perpetuate stereotypes business 'victimless crime,' maintains status quo, blurs responsibility for protecting under UN Convention Rights Child. Health care providers researchers can be advocates accuracy coverage exploitation; reporters editors should more draw avoid perpetuating stereotypes, use accurate terms, such rather terms related trade.