This report was originally available on the Raranga Whatumanawa website which is no longer available. A hard copy of this report was in the collection transferred from MSD in March 2011.

This is one of a series of reports produced by Raranga Whatumanawa (The weaving of the heart patterns), a research project undertaken by the Psychology Clinic at Massey University, in conjunction with the Psychology Centre in Hamilton, to investigate the mental health assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes resulting from sexual abuse. The research was funded by the Accident Compensation Corporation of New Zealand (ACC) and contributes to the development of useable national practice guidelines. This particular report presents the findings of a critical discursive analysis of the issues surrounding sexual abuse in the contemporary media. The study examined New Zealand newspapers from 2002 to 2005. The focus of the analysis was on text that relates to legislation concerning sexual abuse, the effects of sexual abuse, treatment of providers working with sexual abuse survivors, and sexual abuse as a social phenomenon. The authors argue that, as "a mediated social phenomenon, sexual abuse is constituted through an array of competing discourses that serve to perpetuate a cycle of shame and disrepute for survivors of this abusive act." This dominant media discourse is labelled "the big scam" discourse. The limitations of the study are discussed. Please do not cite or quote this Technical report without permission.

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