media and crime

hypodermic syringe model

audiences are pumped with information from the media without any mediation or interpretation

newsworthiness

Reiner 2007

news content is generated in relation to what will sell or make a good story instead of ideological considerations (core concerns)

• example: more violent crimes such as murder or sexual assault are covered more often

• example 2: Bondi stabbings led to more media coverage regarding stabbings to build newsworthiness and views

David Garland’s features of moral panic

concern

• reported conduct or event that sparks anxiety

hostility

• perpetrators are portrayed as folk devils

consensus

• negative reaction is broad and unified

disproportionality

• extent of the conduct or threat is exaggerated

volatility

• media reporting and the associated panic emerge suddenly

• can dissipate quickly

folk devils

known as the cultural scapegoats

• a person or a group of people who are portrayed as outsiders or deviants therefore blamed for the event causing fear

• example: asian decent during COVID-19

cultivation theory

exposure to media can influence our perception of reality including crime and safety