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'Stay at home, save lives': a critical discourse analysis of domestic abuse in UK media during the COVID-19 pandemic Katherine Charlotte Vage (24292769) PUREID: 680428007 Media media influence domestic violence abuse violence critical discourse analysis Covid covid-19 COVID-19 pandemic COVID-19 Pandemic COVID-19 Covid-19 linguistics news reports newspaper domestic abuse intimate partner violence UK media studies gender-based violence violence against women violence against women and girls VAWG EVAWG coronavirus lockdown UK media discourse news discourse media representation print media press discourse analysis transitivity social actor mixed methods corpus-assisted qualitative content analysis ATLAS.ti victim representation perpetrator representation visual salience denotation connotation ideology media monitoring coercive control journalism This thesis investigates the construction of domestic abuse (DA) in UK newspapers during the first national COVID-19 lockdown. The pandemic created a “critical moment” for DA representation, with increased reports of abuse and intensified media attention on the issue (Quandt and Wahl-Jorgensen, 2021: 1201). Through Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of textual and visual media discourse, using Halliday’s framework of transitivity (1994), van Leeuwen’s social actor analysis (1996; 2008), visual salience (Machin and Mayr, 2012) and denotation/connotation (Machin, 2007), this thesis reveals the ideological power of the media to create and sustain public perceptions of DA. Findings are evaluated alongside existing research, societal myths and media language guidelines (Zero Tolerance, 2019; Ethical Journalism Network, 2020; Starling, 2022; Women’s Aid, 2024; Women’s Aid NI, 2025). Analysis demonstrates that media reporting during the first national lockdown was often distorted and misrepresented the dynamics of abuse. In certain cases, shifts in journalistic practice were noted, informing recommendations for changes in institutional practices. Exposing media misrepresentation of DA is critical. Distorted portrayals of abuse can undermine public understanding, obscuring the context of gender-based violence and overlooking the multiple forms and patterns of abusive behaviour that constitute DA, including the central role of coercive control. Misrepresentation can also hinder victim-survivors’ recognition of abuse, shape policing and policy responses and influence societal perceptions of responsibility for addressing and preventing violence against women and girls (VAWG). However, as Slakoff, Aujla and PenzeyMoog (2020: 2785) emphasise, the media have the capacity to rapidly disseminate information and educate the public about this form of abuse. The intensified focus on DA during the pandemic offered a unique opportunity to shape public understanding constructively. Therefore, this thesis makes an original contribution to understandings of media power, DA representation and the ideological reproduction of gender-based violence through CDA and media monitoring. It challenges the reinforcement of societal myths and underscores the need for more responsible, informed and contextually grounded reporting to better inform public perceptions and institutional responses to DA.<br><br><i>Thesis is embargoed until 31 July 2028.</i> 2026-10-01T16:15:02Z Text Thesis 10.17034/32805563.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/_Stay_at_home_save_lives_a_critical_discourse_analysis_of_domestic_abuse_in_UK_media_during_the_COVID-19_pandemic/32805563 All Rights Reserved Open Access after 2028-07-31