Media Framing of Child Abuse in Tanzania: A Content Analysis of Mwananchi and Habari Leo Newspapers
Résumé
The present study explored the dominant framing of child abuse cases adopted by two major Tanzanian newspapers, Mwananchi and Habari Leo, in their coverage between January and June 2025. On the basis of a descriptive content analysis method with a mixed-methods research design, the research assessed a sample of 92 published articles on child abuse. The main objective was to determine the framing that journalists use to present this critical social issue to the public. The results revealed a highly skewed journalistic approach to covering child abuse incidents, as the Criminal Justice Frame dominated the reporting at 74%. Other frames with high frequencies include the Victim-Centric Frame at 16% and the Moral Panic Frame at 10%. This finding aligns with expectations because framing showcases how an issue is perceived and discussed. Tanzanian print media thus prioritizes punitive measures and legal accountability over exploring systemic causes, prevention strategies, or long-term therapeutic solutions. Guided by framing theory, this paper contends that this sustained focus risks sensationalizing discrete incidents at the expense of the media playing an active role in promoting comprehensive child protection policies and fighting the entrenched sociocultural causes of abuse. The results also provide valuable insight into the way in which media gatekeeping operates within the presentation of public discourse related to vulnerable populations in East Africa.
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