The Telethon conflict and the Spence case were covered primarily in popular magazines and to a lesser extent by television. The Telethon controversy centered on an advertising campaign's use of statistics and images that used a radical feminist perspective to represent child sexual abuse as a gendered issue existing within the family. The Spence story focused on overzealous child welfare professionals and the alleged wrong labeling and treatment of the child abused and the father as the suspected abuser. The coverage consisted of investigative features, editorials, opinion columns, and letters to the editor. The main representations of both conflicts were distinguished by a hostile response to a feminist-influenced analysis of child sexual abuse. However, analysis of textual construction reveals that feminist and other child protection arguments have influenced popular discourse. The media coverage was also similar to some recent coverage in other western countries. The New Zealand conflict suggests several research directions. Illustrations and 32 references