Abstract:
This thesis critically investigates discourses present within New Zealand online news
media outlets concerning the crime of online sexual grooming minors, the associated
offenders, victims and policing and prevention strategies. Specifically, this thesis discusses
how dominant discourses concerning sexual offending of minors that are reinforced
through the news media, have the potential to impact policing and prevention strategies,
increasing both victimisation and punitive crime control policies.
This thesis draws on critical discourse analysis to investigate ideologies, identities and
practices of online grooming that are produced, transformed and reinforced through the
online news media. Alongside the textual, linguistic analysis of 177 news articles, the
sociocultural context of New Zealand’s use of the Internet, and well-known disgust of sex
offenders who target minors is discussed, regarding how New Zealander’s produce and
consume online news. Results from the analysis explore the sensationalist nature of the
news media concerning sex-related crimes and children, the marginalisation of sex
offenders, and the reinforcement of the need for a neoliberal police force to combat violent
sexual crimes.
Overall, this thesis finds that the sensationalist representations of online grooming in the
New Zealand media not only reinforce everyday discourse around violent, male sex
offenders as ‘paedophiles’ in the community and victims as ‘vulnerable’ children but that
the online news media has the potential to impact crime control, punishment and prevention
strategies based on how New Zealander’s consume and produce online news media. This
thesis argues that New Zealand online news media discourses concerning online grooming
are having considerate impacts on how society determines best practice in policing and
preventing online sex crimes.