CHAPTER 8: Summary, Conclusions, and Reform

Major problems with media coverage

Media inaccuracies stem from profit motives reliance on official sources sensationalism omission of context and distortions of crime frequency

Market model

Crime covered due to public interest newsworthiness determined by consumers coverage assumed objective

Manipulative model

Crime covered to benefit owners newsworthiness determined by marketability coverage subjective and distorted

Organizational model

Crime coverage depends on media needs periodicity consonance and routinization profit-driven structure

Why organizational model is most accurate

Accounts for profit patterns consumer-media dynamics and real media behavior better than other models

Inaccuracies stem from organizational structure

Corporate ownership ratings advertising and profit motives cause distorted coverage

Benefits of violent crime coverage

Violent crime boosts ratings advertising profits and audience interest while being cheap to cover

Benefits of inaccurate coverage

Inaccuracy increases emotional reactions engagement fear and consumption

Role of imitation

Media outlets copy each other producing similar stories frames and emphasis on violent crime

Lack of education in journalism

Reporters lack knowledge rely on officials confuse arrest and crime rates reproduce misinformation

Media frame crime as failure of agencies

Portray system as ineffective leading public to demand harsher punishments and more policing

Effects of consuming crime media

Increases fear desensitization support for punitive policies and distorted beliefs about crime

Media reinforce crime control ideology

Coverage emphasizes punishment over due process promoting tough-on-crime mindset

Reliance on official sources

Media privilege law enforcement and political voices reinforcing status quo

Overemphasis on violent crime

Most coverage focuses on extreme rare random or child-related cases exaggerating risk

Ignoring corporate crime

White-collar crimes omitted protecting corporations despite larger societal harms

Routinization and consonance

Stories fit previous narratives and patterns making crime easy and profitable to cover

Peer culture in media

Journalists imitate competitors leading to pack journalism and repeated crime themes

Pack journalism

Reporters flock to same stories reinforcing narratives without critical evaluation

Media as fear machine

Fear drives consumption supports industry from security to firearms and increases political control

Political framing of crime

Politicians depict justice system as weak leading to punitive public beliefs

Politics of fear

Fear used strategically to justify repression surveillance and harsh punishment

Why crime sells

Crime attracts attention produces emotion drives ratings and advertising

News as entertainment

Crime news becomes dramatized undermining informational value

Impact on public attitudes

Consumers show more support for death penalty incarceration and punitive responses

Why white-collar crime ignored

It lacks sensationalism threatens media owners and does not draw viewers

Ignoring structural causes of crime

Media focus on individual pathology not poverty inequality or systemic causes

Why organizational benefits matter

Crime is cheap routinized profitable and constantly reproducible

Media misinform through selective coverage

Highlight rare violent events ignore context and exaggerate risk

Effects of misinformation

Supports punitive policies undermines due process distorts public understanding

Rehabilitation vs punishment public view

Media increase support for punishment even though rehabilitation favored generally

Media and death penalty support

Exposure to simplified crime coverage increases support for executions

Core reforms breaking corporate media

Reforms seek breakup of corporate consolidation empower nonprofit independent news

Save the News goals

Protect press freedoms increase quality accountability innovation and diversity in journalism

Six reform categories

Subsidies government media nonprofit cooperative foundation and new commercial models

Individual-level reforms

Educate journalists cultivate academic-media links hold media accountable promote truthful consumption

Consumer responsibility

Viewers must stop rewarding sensationalism and inaccurate crime coverage

Infotainment danger path

Crime media could evolve toward exploitative graphic content including executions

Restricted media danger path

Information flow could shrink reducing transparency and accountability

Balanced reform vision

Media cover crime responsibly provide context reduce sensationalism and diversify coverage

Why organizational model best explanation

Explains profit motives routinization periodicity consonance and consumer-media interaction