Hidden Bias in Language : A Comparative Semantic Analysis of Violence Against Women in English-Language Media in Colombia and Costa Rica

Zuleika Yaneth Martínez Lobo

doi:10.48204/societas.v28n2.9548

Enviado marzo 15, 2026

Publicado 2026-09-28

Artículos de Investigación

Vol. 28 Núm. 2 (2026): Societas

Sesgo oculto en el lenguaje : análisis semántico comparativo de la violencia contra las mujeres en los medios de comunicación en inglés en Colombia y Costa Rica

Zuleika Yaneth Martínez Lobo⁺⁻

DOI https://doi.org/10.48204/societas.v28n2.9548

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DOI: 10.48204/societas.v28n2.9548

Publicado: 2026-09-28

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Martínez Lobo, Z. Y. (2026). Sesgo oculto en el lenguaje : análisis semántico comparativo de la violencia contra las mujeres en los medios de comunicación en inglés en Colombia y Costa Rica. Societas, 28(2), 159–175. https://doi.org/10.48204/societas.v28n2.9548

Derechos de autor 2026 Societas

Esta obra está bajo una licencia internacional Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 4.0.

Resumen

La violencia contra las mujeres (VCM) constituye un problema social persistente en América Latina; sin embargo, se conoce poco acerca de cómo los medios de comunicación globales en lengua inglesa describen estos eventos. Dado que la cobertura mediática influye en la percepción pública, resulta necesario realizar un análisis lingüístico. Este estudio aplica un enfoque descriptivo cualitativo comparativo para examinar doce artículos periodísticos en línea, escritos en inglés, sobre violencia contra las mujeres publicados en Colombia y Costa Rica entre 2020 y 2024. Los artículos fueron cargados en la plataforma Delve y codificados mediante temas desarrollados específicamente para este estudio. Estos temas se utilizaron para analizar cómo se construye el significado en los textos, tomando como base la distinción propuesta por Leech y Short (2007) entre los niveles de significado literal, implícito y asociativo. Delve se utilizó como una herramienta práctica para organizar y gestionar el proceso de codificación, mientras que el trabajo interpretativo fue guiado por el marco teórico. Este enfoque permitió comparar cómo los medios de comunicación en inglés en ambos contextos nacionales representan la violencia contra las mujeres. Los resultados demuestran cómo las elecciones semánticas en el periodismo internacional configuran las narrativas sobre la violencia de género y median las realidades locales para audiencias globales.

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Adamson, E., Menjívar, C., & Walsh, S. D. (2020). The impact of adjacent laws on implementing violence against women laws: Legal violence in the lives of Costa Rican women. Law & Social Inquiry, 45(2), 432–459. https://doi.org/10.1017/lsi.2019.58
Aldrete, M., & Fernández-Ardèvol, M. (2023). Framing femicide in the news, a paradoxical story: A comprehensive analysis of thematic and episodic frames. Crime, Media, Culture: An International Journal, 20(3), 231–249. https://doi.org/10.1177/17416590231199771
Alvarado, L. (2020, September 4). Body found in Jaco Beach corresponds to German tourist Karin Holzapfel. Costa Rica Star News. https://news.co.cr/body-found-in-jaco-corresponds-to-german-tourist-karin-holzapfel/82092/
Bradshaw, C., Atkinson, S., & Doody, O. (2017). Employing a qualitative description approach in health care research. Global Qualitative Nursing Research, 4, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1177/2333393617742282
Busso, L., Combei, C. R., & Tordini, O. (2020). Narrating gender violence: A corpus-based study on the representation of gender-based violence in Italian media. In G. Giusti & G. Iannàccaro (Eds.), Language, gender, and hate speech: A multidisciplinary approach (pp. 31–54). Edizioni Ca’ Foscari. https://doi.org/10.30687/978-88-6969-478-3/002
De Souza, N. M. F., & Selis, L. M. R. (2022). Gender violence and feminist resistance in Latin America. International Feminist Journal of Politics, 24(1), 5–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616742.2021.2019483
Delve. (n.d.). Delve qualitative data analysis tool. https://delvetool.com
Emblin, R. (2024, April 16). Medellín launches sex abuse prevention campaign for foreign visitors. The City Paper Bogotá. https://thecitypaperbogota.com/news/medellin-launches-sex-abuse-prevention-campaign-for-foreign-visitors/
Fairclough, N. (2015). Language and power (3rd ed.). Routledge.
Fernandez, I. (2024, November 25). Costa Rica faces struggles with gender-based violence. The Tico Times. https://ticotimes.net/2024/11/25/costa-rica-faces-struggles-with-gender-based-violence
Gillespie, L. K., Richards, T. N., Givens, E. M., & Smith, M. D. (2013). Framing deadly domestic violence: Why the media’s spin matters in newspaper coverage of femicide. Violence Against Women, 19(2), 222–245. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801213476457
Gilmore, K., & Säävälä, M. (2023). Gender and violence in global reporting (Policy Brief No. 15). United Nations Research Institute for Social Development.
Lazar, M. M. (2007). Feminist critical discourse analysis: Articulating a feminist discourse praxis. Critical Discourse Studies, 4(2), 141–164. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405900701464816
Leech, G. N., & Short, M. H. (2007). Style in fiction: A linguistic introduction to English fictional prose (2nd ed.). Pearson Longman.
McCord, H. (2021, September 27). Impunity for femicide in Colombia is still above 90%. The Bogotá Post. https://thebogotapost.com/impunity-for-femicide-in-colombia-is-still-above-90/49317/
Olza, I., Koller, V., Ibarretxe-Antuñano, I., Pérez-Sobrino, P., & Semino, E. (2020). The #ReframeCovid initiative: Metaphors in communication on the COVID-19 pandemic across languages. Metaphor and the Social World, 10(1), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1075/msw.00002.olz
Richardson, J. E. (2007). Analysing newspapers: An approach from critical discourse analysis. Palgrave Macmillan.
Saldaña, J. (2021). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (4th ed.). SAGE.
Sampieri, R. H., Collado, C. F., & Lucio, M. del P. B. (2018). Metodología de la investigación (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
Sandelowski, M. (2000). Whatever happened to qualitative description? Research in Nursing & Health, 23(4), 334–340. https://doi.org/10.1002/1098-240X(200008)23:4%3C334::AID-NUR9%3E3.0.CO;2-G
Sandelowski, M. (2010). What’s in a name? Qualitative description revisited. Research in Nursing & Health, 33(1), 77–84. https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.20362
Sandoval, T. (2020, May 10). Domestic violence: The “shadow pandemic.” The Bogotá Post. https://thebogotapost.com/domestic-violence-the-shadow-pandemic/46472/
Santaemilia-Ruiz, J., & Maruenda-Bataller, S. (2016). The linguistic representation of gender violence in (written) media discourse. In Benjamins Current Topics (Vol. 86, pp. 82–106). John Benjamins.
Suaza, C. D. (2021, June 3). How Colombian students are fighting sexual aggression on campus. The Bogotá Post. https://thebogotapost.com/how-colombian-students-are-fighting-sexual-aggression-on-campus/49003/
The City Paper Staff. (2024, March 10). Passenger claims murder suspect Jesse Wiseman spotted on Canadian train. The City Paper Bogotá. https://thecitypaperbogota.com/colombia/witness-claims-murder-suspect-jesse-wiseman-wanted-for-femicide-of-laura-lopera-spotted-on-canadian-train/
The City Paper Staff. (2024, November 14). They are girls, not wives: Colombia passes law banning child marriage. The City Paper Bogotá. https://thecitypaperbogota.com/news/they-are-girls-not-wives-colombia-passes-law-banning-child-marriage/
Tico Times. (2023, April 27). Sexual violence at Costa Rica’s Santa Teresa Beach: A call for action. The Tico Times. https://ticotimes.net/2023/04/27/sexual-violence-at-costa-ricas-santa-teresa-beach-a-call-for-action
Tico Times. (2024, September 14). Violence against women rises in Costa Rica. The Tico Times. https://ticotimes.net/2024/09/14/violence-against-women-rises-in-costa-rica
Vaughn, C. (2020, April 8). Is 16 years enough for the brutal murder of American tourist Carla Stefaniak in Costa Rica? Costa Rica Star News. https://news.co.cr/is-16-years-enough-for-the-brutal-murder-of-american-tourist-carla-stefaniak-in-costa-rica/81482/
Vaughn, C. (2020, July 28). Gruesome murder of doctor in Manuel Antonio Costa Rica. Costa Rica Star News. https://news.co.cr/gruesome-murder-of-doctor-in-manuel-antonio-costa-rica/82118/
Wodak, R., & Meyer, M. (2009). Methods of critical discourse analysis (2nd ed.). SAGE

Palabras clave

América Latina, análisis semántico, discurso mediático. periodismo en inglés, violencia contra las mujeres.

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Este obra está bajo una licencia de Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 4.0 Internacional.

Content Top

[1] Adamson, E., Menjívar, C., & Walsh, S. D. (2020). The impact of adjacent laws on implementing violence against women laws: Legal violence in the lives of Costa Rican women. Law & Social Inquiry, 45(2), 432–459. https://doi.org/10.1017/lsi.2019.58

[2] Aldrete, M., & Fernández-Ardèvol, M. (2023). Framing femicide in the news, a paradoxical story: A comprehensive analysis of thematic and episodic frames. Crime, Media, Culture: An International Journal, 20(3), 231–249. https://doi.org/10.1177/17416590231199771

[3] Alvarado, L. (2020, September 4). Body found in Jaco Beach corresponds to German tourist Karin Holzapfel. Costa Rica Star News. https://news.co.cr/body-found-in-jaco-corresponds-to-german-tourist-karin-holzapfel/82092/

[4] Bradshaw, C., Atkinson, S., & Doody, O. (2017). Employing a qualitative description approach in health care research. Global Qualitative Nursing Research, 4, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1177/2333393617742282

[5] Busso, L., Combei, C. R., & Tordini, O. (2020). Narrating gender violence: A corpus-based study on the representation of gender-based violence in Italian media. In G. Giusti & G. Iannàccaro (Eds.), Language, gender, and hate speech: A multidisciplinary approach (pp. 31–54). Edizioni Ca’ Foscari. https://doi.org/10.30687/978-88-6969-478-3/002

[6] De Souza, N. M. F., & Selis, L. M. R. (2022). Gender violence and feminist resistance in Latin America. International Feminist Journal of Politics, 24(1), 5–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616742.2021.2019483

[7] Delve. (n.d.). Delve qualitative data analysis tool. https://delvetool.com

[8] Emblin, R. (2024, April 16). Medellín launches sex abuse prevention campaign for foreign visitors. The City Paper Bogotá. https://thecitypaperbogota.com/news/medellin-launches-sex-abuse-prevention-campaign-for-foreign-visitors/

[9] Fairclough, N. (2015). Language and power (3rd ed.). Routledge.

[10] Fernandez, I. (2024, November 25). Costa Rica faces struggles with gender-based violence. The Tico Times. https://ticotimes.net/2024/11/25/costa-rica-faces-struggles-with-gender-based-violence

[11] Gillespie, L. K., Richards, T. N., Givens, E. M., & Smith, M. D. (2013). Framing deadly domestic violence: Why the media’s spin matters in newspaper coverage of femicide. Violence Against Women, 19(2), 222–245. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801213476457

[12] Gilmore, K., & Säävälä, M. (2023). Gender and violence in global reporting (Policy Brief No. 15). United Nations Research Institute for Social Development.

[13] Lazar, M. M. (2007). Feminist critical discourse analysis: Articulating a feminist discourse praxis. Critical Discourse Studies, 4(2), 141–164. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405900701464816

[14] Leech, G. N., & Short, M. H. (2007). Style in fiction: A linguistic introduction to English fictional prose (2nd ed.). Pearson Longman.

[15] McCord, H. (2021, September 27). Impunity for femicide in Colombia is still above 90%. The Bogotá Post. https://thebogotapost.com/impunity-for-femicide-in-colombia-is-still-above-90/49317/

[16] Olza, I., Koller, V., Ibarretxe-Antuñano, I., Pérez-Sobrino, P., & Semino, E. (2020). The #ReframeCovid initiative: Metaphors in communication on the COVID-19 pandemic across languages. Metaphor and the Social World, 10(1), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1075/msw.00002.olz

[17] Richardson, J. E. (2007). Analysing newspapers: An approach from critical discourse analysis. Palgrave Macmillan.

[18] Saldaña, J. (2021). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (4th ed.). SAGE.

[19] Sampieri, R. H., Collado, C. F., & Lucio, M. del P. B. (2018). Metodología de la investigación (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

[20] Sandelowski, M. (2000). Whatever happened to qualitative description? Research in Nursing & Health, 23(4), 334–340. https://doi.org/10.1002/1098-240X(200008)23:4%3C334::AID-NUR9%3E3.0.CO;2-G

[21] Sandelowski, M. (2010). What’s in a name? Qualitative description revisited. Research in Nursing & Health, 33(1), 77–84. https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.20362

[22] Sandoval, T. (2020, May 10). Domestic violence: The “shadow pandemic.” The Bogotá Post. https://thebogotapost.com/domestic-violence-the-shadow-pandemic/46472/

[23] Santaemilia-Ruiz, J., & Maruenda-Bataller, S. (2016). The linguistic representation of gender violence in (written) media discourse. In Benjamins Current Topics (Vol. 86, pp. 82–106). John Benjamins.

[24] Suaza, C. D. (2021, June 3). How Colombian students are fighting sexual aggression on campus. The Bogotá Post. https://thebogotapost.com/how-colombian-students-are-fighting-sexual-aggression-on-campus/49003/

[25] The City Paper Staff. (2024, March 10). Passenger claims murder suspect Jesse Wiseman spotted on Canadian train. The City Paper Bogotá. https://thecitypaperbogota.com/colombia/witness-claims-murder-suspect-jesse-wiseman-wanted-for-femicide-of-laura-lopera-spotted-on-canadian-train/

[26] The City Paper Staff. (2024, November 14). They are girls, not wives: Colombia passes law banning child marriage. The City Paper Bogotá. https://thecitypaperbogota.com/news/they-are-girls-not-wives-colombia-passes-law-banning-child-marriage/

[27] Tico Times. (2023, April 27). Sexual violence at Costa Rica’s Santa Teresa Beach: A call for action. The Tico Times. https://ticotimes.net/2023/04/27/sexual-violence-at-costa-ricas-santa-teresa-beach-a-call-for-action

[28] Tico Times. (2024, September 14). Violence against women rises in Costa Rica. The Tico Times. https://ticotimes.net/2024/09/14/violence-against-women-rises-in-costa-rica

[29] Vaughn, C. (2020, April 8). Is 16 years enough for the brutal murder of American tourist Carla Stefaniak in Costa Rica? Costa Rica Star News. https://news.co.cr/is-16-years-enough-for-the-brutal-murder-of-american-tourist-carla-stefaniak-in-costa-rica/81482/

[30] Vaughn, C. (2020, July 28). Gruesome murder of doctor in Manuel Antonio Costa Rica. Costa Rica Star News. https://news.co.cr/gruesome-murder-of-doctor-in-manuel-antonio-costa-rica/82118/

[31] Wodak, R., & Meyer, M. (2009). Methods of critical discourse analysis (2nd ed.). SAGE

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