Femminicidio in Italian televised news: the case study of La Vita in Diretta

In this chapter, I investigate three linguistic patterns in five televised narratives of femicides in Italy. The wealth of literature on how media recounts male violence against women shows that this is still framed through sexist and patriarchal values, all around the world. Specifically, the crimes are usually seen through the lens of the perpetrator and, his feelings are considered to be accepted motives for the violence. Fixed gendered roles, expectations and masculinities/femininities are at the core of why male violence occurs and, also, the ways in which is narrated in printed and other types of media. In examining the afternoon infotainment programme La Vita in Diretta, aired on the first channel of the national TV Rai, I focus on a) the absence of the term femminicidio; b) the use of specific referential strategies; and c) motives attributed to the perpetrator of the crime. Results show that non-legal terminology is preferred, women are generally constructed as relatable to the public and male perpetrators are still seen through the lens of their love for the women they killed.