Analysis of Media Portrayal of Victim in Luke Batty Case Study

This case study delves into the tragic case of Luke Batty, who was murdered by his father, Greg Anderson. The assignment analyzes four different media articles that report on the case, focusing on how the victim, Luke Batty, and his mother, Rosie Batty, are portrayed. It examines the application of victim theories, such as the ideal victim theory and the family violence model, to understand the case's complexities. The analysis considers the impact of the murder on the community and Rosie Batty's efforts to combat domestic violence. The study highlights the media's role in shaping public perception and the pursuit of justice in the aftermath of a horrific crime. The case study concludes with a discussion of the implications of the case and its relevance to broader issues of crime, victims, and the justice system.

Crime, Victims and Justice

Table of Contents
CASE STUDY : Luke Batty............................................................................................................3
Article first : ....................................................................................................................................3
Headline - “Luke Batty: killed by a father no one truly knew”..............................................3
Article 2 : ........................................................................................................................................4
Headline : “Rosie Batty feels the pain of Aboriginal women”..............................................4
Headline : “ Luke Batty murder: how his community has dealt with the shock and grief, a year
on” .........................................................................................................................................6
Article 4 : ........................................................................................................................................7
Headline : Luke Batty was killed by his father. So why does Rosie Batty have to defend her
parenting decisions?...............................................................................................................8
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11

CASE STUDY : Luke Batty
Article first :
1. How do media representations portray the victim in the Case of Luke Batty
Headline - “Luke Batty: killed by a father no one truly knew”
Content – This article stated that Luke Batty was killed by his father at the age of
11. The article represents a complete scenario of the case including the activities
happened after the murder of Luke Batty. The article tried to portray the complete
situation of the case but still the article can not come to the conclusion that why
Greg Anderson killed his son(Melissa Davey. 2014). The reason of the murder can
Illustration 1: Luke Batty - KiIlled by a father no one truly
knew
(https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/nov/0
2/-sp-luke-batty-killed-by-a-father-no-one-truly-knew)

not be revealed by this article. According to the article, Luke batty was not living
with is father as he was getting threatened by him again and again. The article also
stated that Greg Anderson, the father of Luke Batty was suffering from some
mental illness but it is not proved whether it was true or not.
2. According to this article I can observe that the ideal victim theory can be
applied on the case of Luke Batty. As he can not be blamed for the situation
and he was completely unaware of his murder.
3. The community can observe and conclude that Luke Batty was an innocent
boy and a victim who god killed by a psycho father. The article can help
people to believe that Greg Anderson is a murderer and also tried to save
himself by saying that he is mentally ill.
Article 2 :
1. How do media representations portray the victim in the Case of Luke Batty
Headline : “Rosie Batty feels the pain of Aboriginal women”
Content – Rosie Batty was the mother of Luke Batty the victim of a murder, this
article stated that Rosie was deeply hurt by the losing his loved son. The article
focuses on the mother of the victim who feels a lot of pain but can not express it to
others. The article also concluded that she has been threatened and harassed by
Greg Anderson her partner as well as the murderer of Luke Batty. The article states
that the murderer, Greg Anderson harassed Rosie many times while they were
together and after leaving him Rosie was getting threatening calls form Greg. The
article also focuses on the campaign Rosie conducts in order to reduce domestic
violence in the society((Phoebe Wearne, 2018).

Source : https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/rosie-batty-feels-the-pain-of-aboriginal-
women-ng-b88778610z
1. According to this article I can observe that the article is not focusing on the
main element of the case which is Luke Batty and hence none of the victim
theory will be applied in this representation
2. This article enables me to develop an understanding that Luke and his
murder were assaulted by Greg Anderson. Rosie Batty needs to save the
aboriginal women form facing the domestic violence as she did and she
started campaigns to eliminate domestic violence from the society. The
community will support Rosie in this context.
Article 3 :
1. How do media representations portray the victim in the Case of Luke Batty
Illustration 2: Rosie Batty - Domestic Violence Campaigner

Headline : “ Luke Batty murder: how his community has dealt with the shock
and grief, a year on”
Content – This article is related to the community in which Luke Batty lived a
happy life. The article states that Luke Batty after cricket practice in the town
which was very shocking and hear breaking for the society and its people. The
article also includes that the place where Luke Batty died has been converted into a
memorial garden. The people connected to Luke are still in a shock for losing him,
as the information mentioned in this article it has been concluded that Luke's
public behaviour clearly showed that he was facing family violence. In addition to
this the article also stated that people and students are slowly healing with the pain
of losing Luke Batty(Clare Rawlinson, 2015).

2. I can conclude form the above article that application of family violence
model is most suitable for this representation. According to this article it is
clear that the victim was facing family violence which was also visible in his
public behaviour.
3. The community will be happy to see that the people remember Luke and
remember him even after a long. The people connected to Luke miss him
and also gave a tribute to him which is very emotional for the society.
Article 4 :
1. How do media representations portray the victim in the Case of Luke Batty
Illustration 3: Luke Batty murder: how his community has dealt with the shock and grief, a year
on”
Source: www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-12/luke-batty-remembered2c-one-year-on/6089180

Headline : Luke Batty was killed by his father. So why does Rosie Batty have to
defend her parenting decisions?
Content – This article provides the most conclusive information regarding the case
of Luke Batty. The article stated that Luke Batty was killed by his father Greg
Anderson with a cricket bat and knife. The article also stated that Rosie Batty,
mother Luke waited a long for getting Greg Anderson behind the bars. The
murderer father stated that he is mentally ill which was an excuse. The article
concluded that though Rosie will not get his son back but she is happy that her
son's murderer is punished by the law(Melissa Davey, 2014).

Source: (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/23/luke-batty-was-
killed-by-his-father-so-why-does-rosie-batty-have-to-defend-her-parenting-
decisions )
2. According to this article the ideal victim theory can be applied, as the article
clearly proves that the Luke Batty is a pure victim who was brutally killed by his
own father.
3. The community will get to know that what exactly happened in the case of Luke
Batty, the article consist each and every information regarding the case of murder
Illustration 4: Luke Batty was killed by his father. So why
does Rosie Batty have to defend her parenting decisions?

hence it can be understood by the community that Luke was innocent victim and
Greg Anderson, the father of Luke killed him.

REFERENCES
Online
Melissa Davey. 2014<https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/nov/02/-sp-luke-batty-
killed-by-a-father-no-one-truly-knew>
Melissa Davey, 2014<https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/23/luke-batty-was-
killed-by-his-father-so-why-does-rosie-batty-have-to-defend-her-parenting-decisions>
Clare Rawlinson, 2015 <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-12/luke-batty-remembered2c-
one-year-on/6089180>
Phoebe Wearne, 2018 <https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/rosie-batty-feels-the-pain-of-aboriginal-
women-ng-b88778610z >