Crime Reporting on Elderly in Odisha Newspapers: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Abstract

The paper critically analyses crime against elderly as reported in news media especially in print newspapers.  It deals with the analysis of a brutal double murder of a retired doctor couple. With the rise in numbers of those livings alone increasing rapidly, the elderly are becoming soft targets for organised crime. This paper analyses a single event which was covered by all leading news papers in Odisha due to its sensational nature. By using critical discourse analysis of the murder report the paper proposes to find social construction of violence against elderly, ideological bent of journalists, socio-cultural context in media reporting of an incident that shook the conscience of the state.  We also made an attempt to find the impact and sensitivity with which the case has been covered in the newspapers.