e., "Christian Choate was 13 years old when he died two years ago in a dog cage and was buried in a plastic bag near an Indiana trailer park" and "They also believe Christian's father, who led police to the grave, had for years beaten the boy and kept him in a cage") in an effort to alert readers to the problem of child abuse and neglect at the national level, and emphasizes time and again that the problem is likely underreported and current statistics most likely just represent "the tip of the iceberg" (p. A7).
Having prefaced her article with this disturbing example of the extremes that child abuse can assume, Wetzstein goes on to explain the differences in definitions used by different states makes precise national prevalence estimates difficult, but all signs indicate that there is a national problem that is expected to increase unless and until something is done to reverse these ugly trends While Wetzstein does not offer any alternative approaches beyond the notification protocols provided, she does advocate increased training for pediatricians to alert them to signs of abuse and neglect
Finally, an article by Hays, Schultz and Todahi (2011) in The Register-Guard is more positively entitled, "Together, We Can Reduce Child Abuse in County by 90%" (p. A7). In this article, the authors, who are a university faculty leader, family therapist and youth court official, respectively, concedes that child abuse is a complex problem that demands complex solutions, but the authors also follow this concession with some timely reports from recent evidence-based practice and research that shows child abuse can be prevented and treated. More importantly, perhaps, the authors do not vacillate in their assertions concerning what can be done. Indeed, following a recitation of the various adverse outcomes that are associated with child abuse and neglect, Hays and her associates state flat-out: "We know also that these outcomes are not inevitable. Compelling evidence suggests that child abuse,...
No entire community in the United States has yet fully achieved this. We can" (p. A7). In support of this assertion, these authors describe the impact of several initiatives on reducing the prevalence of child abuse to date and conclude their article with an invitation to the public to raise awareness in furtherance of their goal to reduce child abuse by 90% by 2030.
Conclusion
The research showed that child abuse and neglect are issues that remain at the forefront of media attention and for good reason. Around the world, children are being abused and neglected in ways that can cause them lifelong disabilities or even death, but the manner in which these media accounts are handled was also shown to be an important factor in how the reader was expected to respond. In some cases, the articles were alarmist in nature with headlines that trumpeted the problem to attract further reading, while others adopted a more pragmatic approach that indicated that although there is a real problem, it can be addressed if everyone works together. Finally, the research also showed that conspicuously absent from these newspaper articles were any feedback or first-hand accounts from the victims who are most affected by child abuse and neglect, the children themselves.
References
Hays, A., Shultz, M. & Todahi, J. (2011, February 3). Together, we can reduce child abuse in county by 90%. The Register-Guard, A7.
Radich, J. (2011, April 7). Repairing families is the key to addressing child abuse. The Register-
Guard, A7.
Region's child abuse Complaints on Rise. (2011, November 24). The Gympie Times, A7.
Reports of child abuse jump by 20% on the coast. (2011, November 22). Sunshine Coast Daily,
A7.
Wetzstein, C. (2011, July 13). Child abuse targeted by hearing in House; death…
