He said she’s a bisexual gold-digger
Biphobia and epistemic injustice in news coverage of the Depp v. Heard divorce and defamation trial
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7773700 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Margaret E Foster (0000-0001-9463-903X, Cornell University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 250-266 |
| Publication date | 2025-02-17 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Feminist Media Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1468-0777 • E-ISSN: 1471-5902 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/14680777.2024.2358087 |
| OpenAlex | W4399175277 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 16 |
The 2022 defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard invites examination of how news media changed their coverage of abuse allegations since the couple’s 2016 divorce and the #MeToo movement’s 2017 globalization. Using critical discourse analysis, I found that fewer 2022 articles referenced Heard’s bisexuality compared to their 2016 divorce coverage, and 2022 articles evoked fewer biphobic stereotypes. However, outlets generally did not connect Heard’s (or Depp’s) prior arrest with current allegations of violence. Furthermore, Heard lost the trial amid social media vitriol, thereby questioning news media’s position in a newly digital “economy of believability”
Injustice · Media studies · Political science · Sociology · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection · Law, Rights, and Freedoms · Psychology · Social Psychology
The Contemporary Femme Fatale
Analysing Discourse
Risk and Protective Factors for Intimate Partner Violence Against Bisexual Victims
Why We Need to “Get Bi”
News media on trial
Believability
MeToo, popular feminism and the news
Nobody’s business? White male privilege in media coverage of intimate partner violence
Framing Megan Williams
Journalistic Legitimacy Revisited
Progress And Persistent Problems
Framing the Victim
Objectivity as Strategic Ritual
| Highly cited | No |
|---|