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Abstract
Not much is known about how the media portrays human trafficking. Human trafficking can be defined as the involuntary procurement, movement, trade and exploitation of labor under conditions of coercion and force. Individuals can be trafficked for many different purposes, such as sex, labor, or illegal adoption. The public tends to believe common myths that have been dispersed over time. This study used media articles to understand if the media is dispersing these myths or if they are aligning with the literature. The sample included 151 survivors who shared 550 direct quotes of their experiences. Three methods were used to analyze the data: bivariate analyses, word frequencies, and topic modeling. The results indicate that domestic females are primarily trafficked for sex and international survivors are primarily trafficked for labor. These results align with the literature, indicating that the media is actually promoting survivor’s experience and dispelling the myths.