“She is very manipulative” : A qualitative studie of how Aftonbladet is representing perpetrators in murder cases with one female and one male offender

The aim of this study is to examine how female and male perpetrators are represented in the tabloid Aftonbladet. The study is based on two murder cases that resemble each other. The murders are commited by two perpetrators together, a woman and a man. The questions examined are: How are the perpetrators and victims of news journalism represented in murders commited together by a female and male offender? Which are the similarities and differences between how female and male offenders are represented? We executed a critical discourse analysis of 14 news articles from Aftonbladet, from the time period of the detention to the sentence of the crimes. The result shows that the perpetrators together are represented as well-planned, greedy and evil. The female offender are represented as manipulative, emotional and her actions are correlated to her role as a mother. Furthermore she is placed above the male offender, he becomes submissive. The man is also represented as deviant and has relationship problems with others. The victims are portrayed as helpless and innocent. They are also represented as thoughtful and generous towards their children. The victims’ fear is portrayed in relation to the perpetrators malice.