Discussion
At San Francisco State University and other colleges, mass media had a slight effect on people’s perception of police, but the data was not entirely conclusive on whether or not mass media was a direct causation; the survey is suggestive in that mass media is indeed a slight modifier of people’s perception of police. Majority of the respondents had some sort of a physical interaction with the police, but most of the interactions involved some sort of traffic violation and most of the people felt that they their perception of police stemmed from their personal experience with the police, as well as conversations with friends and family. Though when asked if mass media does sway people’s perception and whether they have been swayed
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The mass media, and to a greater extent, social media, has been pumping out more and more reports about the fatalities that officers have caused and the one commonality between all the fatalities, is that predominantly black people are being killed by police officers. Through the increased reporting and increased activism from the Black Lives Matter movement, there has been a perception that the use of force is extreme and a common occurrence. There has been a lack of evidence showing that this is true, but for a fact, black people have been oppressed in the United States and the remnants of the oppression remain evident. Thus police who have a reputation for practicing racial profiling, which is highly debatable, creates a separation between law enforcement and the community. Through the heavily politicized and reported case of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, the line between the community and police have divided the two groups, allowing misinformation to be said of both sides (Wasilewski and Olson, 2014) At the same time, demonizing police officers for their actions and creating a generalization for a group of people who protect and serve, but also wear a badge and a uniform, labeling them as abusive racists. (Cohen, …show more content…
The study concluded that people’s perception is not easily swayed by mass media, though at the same time, there weren’t any major police controversies that could have been reported on and promoted; during that nine-month period, there was no content to conduct a good study. Whereas, when this questionnaire was being passed around on social media, there was an emergent of police controversies throughout the country of various police scandals. The average amount of consumption between the respondents was approximately six hours per respondent, though despite that, the data shows that there is not a massive effect on people’s perception of police by mass media. There was a slight effect by the consumption of mass media, because despite the few people who felt that the police were ineffective and dangerous, no one had actually any incriminating experiences with any law enforcement official. There were very few respondents that felt they were abused by the police, in which they felt the officer they had interacted with was being harsh, or an “asshole”, or was going through some sort of power trip. Over half of the respondents agreed that there is an effect by mass media on their perception of the police and that their perceptions have been
In today’s society many people view people in law enforcement; in this case police officers are seen as bad people because of the actions they have taken in a certain situation. For example the cases involving Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, Freddie Gray in Baltimore, Maryland, Sandra, Bland in Hempstead, Texas or Tony Robinson in Madison , Wisconsin. As an end result people of those communities became outraged and starting rioting or protesting or hold a grudge against the officer(s) who are involved with the case itself. Therefore police officer’s reputation is ruined and people, who do not like the police officer, believe they can’t be trusted. Which is correlated to the media, and I think the media make has definitely, in my
The brutality of the police force has been a long worldwide problem, but especially between the years of 2012-2016. Black people are being unjustly beaten and shot in plain sight for doing nothing while being unarmed. Journal of African American Studies “Blacks are viewed as deserving of harsh treatment in the criminal justice system” (482). “Black males with more “Afrocentric” features may receive longer sentences than blacks with less Afrocentric features like lighter skin and straighter hair”(482). Nowadays it is important to know about the police force. It’s important to know our rights as citizens and be careful around cops. Not everybody is good, but not everybody is bad also. In The New York Amsterdam News 21 people were killed by Chicago police in 2008. Entire families were being attacked. They believe it’s because of their skin color and how they are different. The year of racism started off with the world seeing the police murder of Oscar Grant. “The media have pushed people away from hearing the issue of police brutality, and it has fallen off of the radar screen.”(2) “You can’t give in. They will try to make an example out of you, try to break your spirit!”(2) African Americans say do not trust the cops with anything. “They will ruin you.”(2)
When an individual chooses a career in law enforcement they realize it can be a very rewarding, yet dangerous career path to take. Most people often hear about all the potential dangers such as officer involved shootings and physical confrontations before making the choice to join the ranks of the few who will always stand for what is right. However, today there is a new danger to law enforcement known as the mass media which adds a whole new realm of difficulty to an already taxing job. The negative effects of the media can be felt nationwide by law enforcement agencies and these effects include creating a divided community, unrealistic expectations, and the devastation of current and future law enforcement careers. This presentation
Criminology is continuously changing and developing. Advances of technology have made media our primary news source for crime. We believe the stories told by our local news media, not doubting a word because these sources are supposedly reliable. Nevertheless, they sometimes do spread false information. It may be intentional or unintentional. According to Cohen, media presence amplifies a problem which did not previously exist (Steeves and Milford, 2015) thus creating a moral panic. As media influence increases, it is necessary for criminologists to study moral panics, such as the Columbine School shootings or the Hurricane Katrina aftermath.
a few years now, police brutality has become an extremely controversial topic and has raised many debates and questions about law enforcement and civilians. Police brutality has been common for decades. However after the death of African Americans such as Michael Brown, Alton Sterling, and Philando Castile, many other African Americans have rose up in protest and anger. The anger stems from these men dying at the hands of police which the civilians believe they died from situation that should have been handled differently. Cases like these have caused a major divide with African Americans and law enforcement. Many people wonder where the relationship between the two went wrong and how police brutality became such a big issue that seems impossible
This research will look at data collected by multiple surveys and field research that has been carried out over the past decade. The data that is collected will be able to give us a better look at the amount of media the public consumes and what their perceptions are on police brutality. This proposal will review the research and data collected by others who have previously studied this topic and outline a new study. Prior studies have examined the media’s effect on the public’s perception on how effective the police are. The proposed study will attempt to look deeper into how much the media truly effects how often the public perceives that misconduct and brutality incidence occur among police forces.
The role the mass media plays in the public perception of Law Enforcement and the Criminal Justice System is potentially important in relation to the viewer’s attitude and beliefs. Does the general public support law enforcement or does the media create a negative perception of the police in the press and on network television? The CSI Effect has gained huge popularity among researchers, what is it; and how does it affects the public’s role in criminal proceedings? In relation to the mass media, how important of a role do common demographic variables such as race and age play a part in the public’s perception of law enforcement?
Current socio-political controversy in America has hit an all-time high. Our country is divided regarding topics such as immigration, minimum wage, healthcare, and foreign affairs. These problems desperately need a solution, however, because of the variety of opinions as to how we should solve these, solutions that satisfy everyone have been nearly impossible to come by. One of the most prominent issues in our country that has been increasingly problematic is racial profiling. Racial profiling is seen throughout America at places like airports and on the highways. Multiple ethnic groups have been affected by this ‘strategy,’ such as Muslims and Latinos. One of the most subjected groups to racial profiling and arguably one of the most outspoken have been African Americans. The divide between African Americans and police officers has been continuously rising in the last decade, as many have spoken out regarding the unfair treatment of blacks by law enforcement. In the last decade alone, there have been far too many instances in which a black citizen’s life has been claimed by the hands of a police officer, such as in the case of the killings of Philando Castile and Michael Brown. The public response to these killings have been outrage and angst against police officers. Believing race was a factor, the public began to voice their opinions and protest the seemingly unfair treatment towards black individuals by police officers. This has only increased the tension between the two groups, as there are often racial profiling accusations toward police officers who pull over black drivers. The best way to approach a solution is to first look at the history of the problem and its contribution to the current situation. I believe the unfair treatment and racial violence towards blacks that occurred in American history has contributed to the rising tension between blacks and police officers, resulting in the current racial divide and constant confrontations between the two groups. The best example of this can be seen in the issue of racial profiling, in which the two groups’ perception of one another has been hostile and unwelcoming.
Neighborhood socioeconomic conditions and racial composition, for instance, have been found to influence residents’ attitudes and interactions with the police— people residing in disadvantaged neighborhoods tend to report more negative personal experiences, observations, and opinions of the police than do residents of middle-class neighborhoods. People who live in high-crime communities and who are frequently exposed to media reports on police abuse may be particularly prone to believe that police misconduct is rife (Weitzer, Incidents of Police Misconduct and Public Opinion,
Ever since the late 1700s, when all racial groups started to assimilate into the dominant culture in the United States, the tension between the police and this diversified population has largely been held in check, with a few incidents happening every now and then as a result of racial conflicts (Datesman, Crandall, and Kearny 180). However, in the past few years, the tension between police officers and the black community has become strained due to several high-profile incidents of fatal shootings by police. The acquittals of the police officers involved ultimately added fuel to this heated debate over abuse and misconduct of police (Wexler). To tackle the long-standing
My research topic is misrepresentation of crime and the criminal justice system in the media. My thesis is that there is a misrepresentation of crime in the media due to a fear of crime, perceived police effectiveness, and distortion of coverage of crime in the media. Studies on crime and the criminal justice system in the media show that the media misrepresents crime and criminals. They also show that the effect the media has on people is based on how people interpret the information. The media influences public opinion about crime and the criminal justice system due to the disproportionate coverage of crimes, criminals, and victims.
I believe that there is a public perception that police are racist. Social media often focuses on racial issues when it comes to police. They exaggerate that police officers are focusing on African-Americans and other minorities. It causes a major uproar among the public. When the media continues to focus on police brutality amongst minorities on a day-to-day basis, their viewers will begin to believe it’s real. They will begin to believe that all police are merciless and racist. The media continues to feed the fear. They focus on the corrupt actions of a small percentage of law enforcement, but they rarely show news about good deeds that police officers may have done. The officers that are shown over the media does not represent all police
The study shows, “This shift in discourse has been motivated by two factors—first, the recognition by public officials that increases in the professionalism of the police and dramatic declines in the rate of crime have not led to increases in police legitimacy, and second, greater awareness of the limits of the dominant coercive model of policing and of the benefits of an alternative and more consensual model based on public trust and confidence in the police and legal system.” Tyler, Tom R., et al. "The Impact of Psychological Science on Policing in the United States." Psychological Science in the Public Interest, vol. 16, no. 3, Dec. 2015, pp. 75-109. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1177/1529100615617791. There are also statements of how a police officer’s behavior has effects on the community and how the perceive the
The mass media is a vehicle for delivering information and to entertain. But implications that the media do more harm than good concerning its practices and its effects on the public. The two main categories of mass media are print media and electronic media. Although they overlap in some areas, they differ mostly in the subject matter they cover and in their delivery methods. Research had been conducted in using both these forms to gauge the impact that each one has on the public. Print media tends to be more factual based whereas electronic media tend to focus more on visual aids to help relay the information. The public’s fear of crime has an impact on the public agenda of policy makers. Fear of crime not only affects individual but may
All things considered, what the media covers and how much they chose to cover has significantly changed over the years, the most apparent in crime coverage. This consistent coverage of crime gives the audience an opportunity to interact with the media. They can feel a part of the intensity of an investigation, cheer on the enforcers, become immersed in their stereotypes. On the other hand, they can appreciate deviance for its resilience to overcome and resist