Media Presentation of Online Romance Fraud in the Czech Republic: Visibility, Victim-Offender Framing, and Sentiment

Abubakari, Yushawu (2026) — European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research

Synopsis (AI-Generated)

This catalog-style study surveys how online romance fraud is presented in Czech media, with a focus on visibility, victim-offender framing, and sentiment within coverage. Situating the analysis within the fields of criminal policy and research, the work traces how cases are made legible for public audiences, how vulnerability is portrayed, and how authorities, media actors, and readers are positioned in relation to these offenses. The aim is to illuminate editorial choices that shape public perception of online romance deception and the perceived severity of the crime within Czech contexts. The analysis employs methods drawn from content and framing studies to examine visibility patterns (coverage frequency, prominence, and placement), the portrayal of victims and offenders (characterizations, blame, agency, and recommended responses), and the tonal direction of reporting (sentiment and evaluative cues). The approach remains descriptive and comparative, seeking to identify recurring motifs across outlets and timeframes without presuming specific outcomes. The study situates media portrayals within broader narratives about digital risk, trust, and criminal accountability. Findings describe variations in visibility across outlets and event types, as well as differences in how victims and perpetrators are framed and how sentiment shifts along a cautious-to-condemnatory spectrum. The synopsis notes implications for public awareness, policy discourse, and journalistic practice, including how language shapes perceptions of vulnerability and the legitimacy of protective measures. By outlining media presentation in a Czech context, the work contributes to cross-national discussions on crime reporting and the interface between journalism, policy formulation, and the lived experience of online fraud.

Identified Gaps (AI-Generated)

The study identifies a lack of empirical research on ORF in Central Europe, especially the Czech Republic, and a need to systematically analyze media representations, visibility, framing of victims and offenders, and sentiment over time. It notes gaps in understanding regional narratives, mechanisms, and societal impacts, calling for broader, policy-relevant analysis beyond incident reporting.

Methods (AI-Generated)

The study uses Relational Quantitative Content Analysis (RQCA) of Czech media on ORF. It builds a corpus from major outlets (iDNES.cz, Česká televize, Novinky.cz, Seznam Zprávy, Český rozhlas, Blesk.cz, Expats.cz) and blogs, using Czech/English keywords. Data were collected with Immersive Translate and analyzed via MAXQDA Web Collector to map co-occurrences among concepts (victimization, offending, sentiment, policy framing) anchored to official cases, treating police communications as part of the ORF communication environment.

Limitations (AI-Generated)

Limitations include reliance on publicly available media sources, which may reflect episodic, event-driven reporting and institutional agendas. Translation and coding subjectivity may affect sentiment and framing inferences. The study cannot establish causality or generalize beyond the Czech media landscape, and police/public communications may bias the corpus toward official narratives. Victim/offender perspectives are largely absent.

Future Work (AI-Generated)

Key future research directions include: systematically investigating the emergence, prevalence, mechanisms, and societal impacts of online romance fraud (ORF) in Central Europe and in the Czech Republic; conducting cross-country comparative framing studies; implementing longitudinal monitoring to distinguish episodic versus continuous media coverage; linking media framing to policy, prevention, and victim-support strategies; triangulating media representations with police and court data to assess accuracy and consequences; expanding cross-platform analyses to include social media and blogs alongside traditional outlets; and refining Relational Quantitative Content Analysis (RQCA) methods for cybercrime contexts.

AI-Generated Content Notice

The synopsis and research notes on this page were generated with AI from available publication information and, when available, the uploaded paper text. They may contain errors, omissions, or interpretation issues. Readers should follow the DOI or source link, review the original publication, and make their own judgment about the content.



        
      

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