Media And Crime Analysis

Assess sociological explanations of the role of the mass media in creating moral panics about crime and deviance:

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.

People are prepared to talk and make presumptions about crime that they have seen i.e. inspiration from the media. This outcomes in the individual's impression of crime and deviance in society which is being “affected by what media staff incorporate or forget”. (Oyza and Edwin, 2015, p.7)

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.

Many times, the media is the main cause in contributing and encouraging the creation of crime myths. The mass media have responsibilities to update the public on the activities occurring domestically and internationally. Stories or reports have to grab the attention of viewers and often times this is accomplished through methods of dramatizing and sensationalizing stories. Instead of stating solely fact, mass media reports have become bias opinions, allowing for it to evolve into more of an entertainment business rather than news.

There are newspapers (such as the “National Enquirer”) renowned for their fictitious (although admittedly attention-grabbing) headlines, yet we hardly hesitate to assume the information is fabricated. On the other hand, when our trusted news sources present their stories, many automatically assume the information is true, which is why “[e]rroneous reporting by established organizations is a bigger threat than

Media coverage of news events can be disseminated to the general public in any number of different ways and media biases often “reflects certain organizational and/or professional preferences or values” (Bennett 2011, 173). In fact, Lundman (2003) points out “that journalists assess the newsworthiness of homicides occurrences using the relative frequency of particular types of murders and how well specific murder occurrences mesh with stereotypical race and gender typifications (357).” In addition, Johnson (2012) felt that the real job of media was to “create a message that…grabs public attention (62).” In other words, can the media grab the public’s attention and hold it?

Different forms of media, such as television, films, books, and newspapers, have similar ways of portraying the criminal justice system. The media constructs representations of crime and justice and in doing this, it presents an often dramatized representation of the criminal justice system; and this does not just influence on the public’s lay view of crime but also for criminal justice experts (Marsh, 2014). In the media it is commonly known that they are a business, and businesses need to make a profit. Because of this, the media’s portrayal of the criminal justice system has been very negative. With the news, their main purpose is to produce what sells. So many of them would edit the information they have gathered and make a story that will sell. Also the media does not show the full process of the criminal justice as a quick process, while in fact it is not. For example, last year, Netflix released a short series called “Making A Murderer”. Most people claimed that they feel like they can solve a crime when they finished watching a series. While that series is very factual, it does not hit every single step of the criminal justice process.

To say the media and elected officials are a mixed blessing for the rediscovery of crime victims is an understatement. While being a victim of a crime in the 24 hour news grind cycle it remains inconceivable there will be attention being given to victims do not desire it. They might prefer to keep their private lives private. However, there also exists another view that the public may need understand, according to the website Justice Solutions “Other victims and survivors who learn about victims’ experiences through the media may be inspired to report crimes and seek supportive services” (Seymour, 2009) However, news gives elected officials a platform for generating public interest, in turn leads to generating finance to pass laws and implement

What factors contribute to this significant gap between perceptions of violent crime and the reality of it? When asked where they obtain their information about crime, an overwhelming plurality of random participants ages 13 to 59 responded with the mass media (Warr, 2013). In the context of this survey and also this paper, the mass media is defined as diverse mainstream media technologies intended to reach a widespread audience (Warr, 2013). This encompasses all television, radio, internet, and paper outlets which broadcast to a wide range of audiences

According to Aaron's journal, concerns about the media have also taken other public forms including entering to political debates about law and order. This has featured arguments about whether media cause unreasonable fear of crime in the context these concerns. This point of view can be

(Newburn, 2013, p.94). How the media and press present specific crimes can bring a range of issues towards the public as quoted from Newbrun it can lead to fear of crime.

The details of some crimes that may require future trials are often broadcast immediately or almost immediately after the crime has been committed (Brown). Social media is a “pull” facility, meaning that any user may search for any viewpoint or information he or she wishes. (Lambert) To put this in perspective, television is a “push” facility, wherein audiences selected by the television station or a show’s producers are given information and do not have control of the content (Lambert). Twitter users may choose to follow any number of accounts for established news organizations and reporters that may or may not have a clear or defined bias, such as Fox News, Anderson Cooper, and MSNBC, which represent the left-wing, center, and right-wing points of view, respectively (Visualizing Media Bias through Twitter). There is an “extreme polarization among media sources, indicating that the political dichotomy naturally arises on Twitter in the media subscription patterns of users” (Visualizing…). This extreme polarization that users pull themselves into also subjects them to a solitary point of view regarding any current event. This isolating experience causes the user to form thoughts that follow those organizations’ lines of thought, and no amount of reason can

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

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