Conference Program

In Italy, the non-consensual dissemination of intimate images became a criminal offence with Law No. 69 (2019), known as “Codice Rosso”.

In public and media discourse, this crime is commonly referred to as ‘revenge porn’. This label is problematic (Hearn, Hall 2018; Henry, Powell 2015; Maddocks 2018) because it reinforces the sexist culture it aims to combat, shifting responsibility from the perpetrator (Hall, Hearn 2019) to the victim: revenge implies a reaction, leading violence to be framed as a consequence of a woman's actions and obscuring the power asymmetries that underlie it (Abbatecola 2021).

The phenomenon is part of broader forms of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (Henry, Powell 2015), made possible by the spread of digital platforms, social networking sites, and messaging services that enable the potentially viral and difficult-to-control circulation of content. In this context, the media play an ambivalent role. On the one hand, they are key players in the public definition of social phenomena, including gender-based violence, helping to construct the interpretative categories through which public opinion understands them. On the other hand, the media — especially digital media — can become part of the dynamics of forms of violence that are enacted through online platforms. Specific platforms’ (e.g. Telegram; Semenzin, Bainotti 2020) sociotechnical affordances — such as anonymity, large groups, broadcast channels, invitation links, and limited traceability — facilitate the non-consensual circulation of intimate images. These features foster male homosocial spaces where sharing such content functions as a practice of socialization and the construction of masculinities.

Also in light of the extensive literature on media and gender-based violence – which has demonstrated the persistence of stereotypes in media narratives (Capecchi, Gius, 2021; Lalli, 2021; Hewa, 2021; Saccà, 2021, 2024) – this paper analyzes how Italian newspapers have reported cases of illegal dissemination of intimate material and to what extent they have reproduced the most widespread gender stereotypes. Through a qualitative content analysis, we analyzed 96 articles published in 2024-2025 as part of a broader study on the journalistic representation of gender-based violence in the Roman press.

The findings reveal a limited definitional clarity. Most articles refer to the phenomenon simply as ‘revenge porn’ while only a minority define it as the illegal dissemination of intimate images, referring to the legal framework. In most cases, the term is used as a generic label to describe forms of digital exposure, without clearly framing it as gender-based violence. As a result, the structural dimension of the phenomenon tends to remain invisible.

Moreover, media coverage is largely characterized by an episodic frame, focusing on individual news stories, and a sensationalist tone with overly detailed descriptions that risk reproducing mechanisms of secondary victimization, whereby the victim is portrayed as partially responsible for the violence experienced.

Overall, the analysis highlights how journalistic narratives tend to attribute incidents to romantic conflicts or dynamics of ‘revenge’ between ex-partners, focusing on the personal circumstances of those involved rather than on the social, cultural, and technological dimensions that make the non-consensual dissemination of intimate content possible.