A Content Analysis of Sex Trafficking Between 2010 and 2019

Human trafficking is a crime that effects people all over the globe but due to the nature of human trafficking, questions about the magnitude of the problem and why such a problem occurs remain. The news plays an integral role on how people consume information. People’s views can unknowingly be influenced by how this news is presented with semantics, emotion, and different sources of information. The present study builds on previous research studies looking at media framing on human trafficking. Using the Dallas Morning News, a content analysis of articles published between 2010 and 2019 was conducted to see how media coverage on human trafficking has evolved since the passage of the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act in 2015. Three frames were used to examine this evolution: a diagnostic frame, a prognostic frame, and the motivational frame. Results reveal that many variables are significantly related to the period after the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 was passed.