The pink collar criminal : the media portrayal of female white-collar criminals in Malta

Abstract

This dissertation delves into the media representation of female white-collar criminals in Malta and its implications. It analyses how online news articles by the Times of Malta depict these criminals, seeking any biased language which could negatively affect their public perception and in turn, court sentencing. Therefore, this study aims to see the way Maltese media represents female white-collar criminals, whether it aligns with foreign research about the topic, and any possible implications of this. This research adopts a qualitative approach, and the data was collected through discourse analysis in order to identify any underlying assumptions and ideologies. The data analysis was then conducted through thematic analysis to outline the common modes of representation, and thus, the dominant underlying ideologies of the local general public. The study reveals that although the Times of Malta was generally quite gender neutral and unbiased, certain underlying biases in representation always remain. In fact, six themes, or typologies of representation were found to be most prevalent (victims, mentally unstable, pathetic figures, mothers, wives/daughters). Moreover, it was gathered that female white-collar criminals were presented in two overarching ways, either through defending or excusing them, or depicting them as evil. Furthermore, the findings suggest that there may be a possible link between media representation and court sentencing, however such observation was not concrete. Therefore, this study recognises a need for more research on whether there is a direct link between media representation of female white-collar criminals and court sentencing. Furthermore, it calls for a re-evaluation of current policies on media reporting and discretionary power of the judiciary, as well as, increased public awareness of the influence of the media on court procedures.