‘King hit’, ‘one punch’ or ‘coward punch’? The language of assault in Australian newspapers

‘King hit’ is an Australian term meaning a single punch to the head when the victim is off-guard. The deaths of two young men in separate ‘king hit’ incidents in Sydney’s Kings Cross, a night-time entertainment precinct, in 2012 and 2014 provided the catalyst for sections of the media to campaign for changes to criminal and alcohol licencing laws. In response to suggestions from the victims’ families, News Corporation newspapers also advocated for the term ‘king hit’ to be replaced by ‘coward punch’ or ‘coward’s punch’ or ‘one punch’. This article examines the use of ‘king hit’, ‘one punch’ and ‘coward’s punch’ in newspaper articles in the ten years before and after 2014. Factiva was used to conduct a search of Australian metropolitan daily newspapers, utilizing key terms such as ‘king hit’, ‘coward’ or ‘coward’s punch’ and ‘one punch’. Analysis of retrieved articles found the usage of ‘king hit’ to describe assaults decreased after the call to cease its use, but the term continues to feature in newspaper reporting and commentary on various offences involving violence. The study demonstrates the continuing reliance on ‘king hit’ as a metaphorical and literal term in Australian newspapers.