Beyond the ‘Incel Attacker’: Media Reporting on Cases of Misogynist Violence

Incidents of misogynist violence are often tenuously linked to the wider incel community in media reports, most notably in the immediate aftermath of attacks carried out by lone male perpetrators. Recent cases of misogynist violence, including the murders of four University of Idaho students in their off-campus residence in November of 2022 and a mass stabbing at the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre in Sydney earlier this year, have been described by some news outlets as clear cases of ‘incel-related’ violence.

This article offers three critiques of the speculative narratives linking misogynist violence to incels in the immediate aftermath of an offline attack, closing on tangible suggestions for reporting on cases of misogynist violence.

Read more