Emma Davies, of Liverpool John Moores University, Erin O’Leary, of Liverpool John Moores University and John Read, of Swinburne University of Technology study how child abuse and neglect were reported in a sample of newspaper articles between 2003 and 2013 in England and Wales. The research shows that although neglect and emotional abuse are the most common causes of child protection plans in England and Wales, sexual abuse was the most commonly reported.

The study concludes with ideas to improve the accuracy and utility of the coverage of child abuse and neglect in newspapers.

The article is published online before print by Journalism. Read the free abstract here.

Picture: Childhood Dream by calliphora, licence: CC BY-ND 2.0