Bill Cosby and the African American media: an exploration of the conversation of rape and sexual assault in the African American community
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Date
2017-08-16
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Towson University. Department of Women's and Gender Studies
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Abstract
Bill Cosby is regarded as one of the most impactful figures within the African American community, which made the numerous sexual assault allegations raised against him contentious within and outside of the African American community. The media is a primary source of information, and more recently, online media has dominated print media as the number one source for information. In recognition of the Bill Cosby scandal, this study utilized grounded theory to analyze and develop themes around platforms within the African American online media, specifically the online platforms of Ebony and Essence magazines, as they are among the most recognized magazines within that community. Grounded theory was used to examine how the African American community responded to the allegations raised against Bill Cosby, in order to understand how rape and sexual assault are framed and discussed within that community. Several themes developed, leading to the emergence of the Fractured Conversation Model (FCM). FCM includes a discussion of rape and sexual assault and engagement of race, class, and gender dynamics, but also includes utilization of victim blaming and perpetuation of rape culture.