Media and Crime Exam 1

Why are media and crime connected

Crime increases engagement with media leading to more money

Looping

re-use of media content in new contexts and media products

Focus of images

more rare the crime is or the more graphic the image is, the more focus it gets

Knowledge of crime in media settings

could be dramatized or fictionalized which warps factual information

How do talking heads impact the public knowledge of crime

boundaries can get blurred since many people can’t tell the difference between fact and opinion

Does increased media covering crime lead to increased production of crime?

Yes. Women are more affected by crime since they are often presented as victims, crime media can affect behavior over time ex. halloween

CSI effect

the idea that forensic evidence is abundant when in reality evidence is severely limited

Pixel policy

fast paced, media-driven development of contemporary public policy. Ex. 1985 crack epidemic produced a media frenzy which lead to a public demand for drug abuse laws

Memorial criminal justice policies

linking a criminal justice policy and legislation to an individual by name ex. amber alert

Describe the reciprocal relationship between media and crime

Media is used for entertainment value but can also be used for education and investigation

Penny press newspapers

included a column on police and courts which focused on class inequities

National police gazette

mens magazine from mid 1840’s

Dime novels

detective and crime novels which shifted focus to indiviual moral weakness and crime, developed the hero vs evil

Comics

featured crime fighting stories

Sound media and crime

radio was a central hub, lots of news was brief and dramatic, fictional radio stories led to sound effects

Narrowcasting

marketing media content to small special interest self-selecting gropus rather than to large mass markets

On demand

time and place access to media content is determined by the consumer rather than the producer of the content

Interactivity

media story lines and content that are influenced as they are created by consumer actions and decisions

What are the four main types of content in the media

news, entertainment, advertising, infotainment

Infotainment

media content that delivers information about the world in an entertainment format. Newsmagazines, documentaries, docudramas, reality crime shows, media trials

Infotainment - Newsmagazines

hour format dedicated to one crime

How does the news structure threshold shape crime news?

threshold determines the worthiness of the crime to be in the news

How does the news structure predictability shape crime news?

predictability refers to how predictable it is for how the news would present it

How does the news structure simplicity shape crime news?

Simplicity refers to how easy it is to put the story out and discuss it in a short amount of time

How does the news structure individualism shape crime news?

Individualism gravitates to stories that can be discussed individually rather than focusing on broader social issues or systemic factors.

How does the news structure risk shape crime news?

Risk refers to using the crimes committed to spread the risks of crime instead of talking about prevention

How does the news structure sex shape crime news?

Sex sells, sexualization of women using photos they choose to post and words they use to describe them

How does the news structure celebrity or high status person shape crime news?

Being a celebrity increases likelihood of news covering regardless of intensity of the crime

How does the news structure proximity shape crime news?

Local news vs national news. Smaller crimes such as burglary more likely to make local news.

How does the news value violence shape crime news?

More heinous the crime, more likely it is to make the news

How does the news value visual spectacle shape crime news?

If you get a picture of the crime, it will probably make the news

How does the news value children shape crime news?

If children are associated with a crime, escalate the likelihood that it will be included on the news

How does the news value conservative ideology and political diversion shape crime news?

conservative as in harsh crime control, crime is often used for political diversion

Social construction

a theoretical view that knowledge is socially created

Sources of social knowledge

1. personal experience - how much exposure to criminal justice

2. significant others - know somebody affected by crime

3. social groups - university, government, church

4. media - formal news and social media

Experienced reality

knowledge gained from one’s directly experienced world

Symbolic reality

knowledge of the world gained from other people, institutions, and media that is shared via symbols with language being the most common

Social constructed realuty

the reality perceived as the “real” world by each individual combining of experienced and symbolic reality

Describe the social construction process

1. the physical world - conditions, events, crimes that occur

2. competing social constructions - how people discuss crimes

3. media as social construction competition arena - media favors constructions that are more accepted

4. winning social construction - criminal justice policies determined by winning social construction

Claims makers

Promoters, activists, professional experts and spokespersons with a particular point of view who make specific claims about a social problem or condition. ex. mothers against druk drivers led to DUI laws

Factual claims

statements that purport to describe the world and what happened. ex. drugs are dangerous

Interpretive claims

statements that focus on the meanings of events and either offer an explanation of why the world is as described in associated factual claims or offer a course of action that needs to be followed. ex. drug users should be punished

Linkage

association of one social construction effort with another previously accepted construction so that the significance of the first construction is connected to the latter

Private trouble

something that happens to an individual and it remains private can become building blocks to developing a public issue

Public issue

social issues that happen on a larger scale

Media’s role - individual crime

crimes that occur to one person

Media’s role - characteristic portrayl

how the media talks about people

Media’s role - increases in technology

ex. body cam footage from officers, cctv camera help bolster media reporting

Media’s role - holes in news cast

slow news day filled with crime

Media’s role - accuracy of images

the media used nicer pictures of more important people

Media’s role - use of rhetoric

how they describe certain things, tone of voice, and nonverbal

Media’s role - relationship with law enforcement

can’t be too critical of law enforcement since that’s where info is gotten, media covers crime and gets more viewers so law enforcement gets more funding and increased public image

Frames

prepackaged constructions that include factual and interpretive claims and associated recommended policies

Faulty criminal justice frame

something wrong with the criminal justice system, crime is a result of lack of order

Blocked opportunities frame

crime is a result of the lack of education etc.

Social breakdown frame

crime is a result of family and community breakdown, therefore policies should promote recreating traditional values

Racist system frame

criminal justice system viewed as racist

Violent media frame

crime is a result of violence in the media, policies promote regulating violence in the media

Narratives

recurring pre-established social roles, characters, and story lines found throughout crime and justice media

Symbolic crimes

crime and other criminal justice events that are selected and highlighted by claims makers as perfect examples to support a particular crime and justice construction

Ownership

identification of a social condition with a particular set of claims makers who come to dominate the social construction of that issue

Media ownership

very little variety in media ownership leading to little variety in social constructions

Stanley Cohen development of moral panics

1. mass media turn the oridnary into extraordinary

2. role of the authorities in deviancy amplification process

3. defining moral boundaries and creating consensus

4. rapid social change

5. youth targeted

Craig Reinarman development of social panics

1. kernel of truth

2. media magnification

3. politico-moral entrepreneurs

4. professional interest groups

5. historical context of conflict

6. linking a form of drug to a dangerous class

7. scapegoating the drug for a wide array of public problems

Uniform crime reports

voluntary reports, incomplete acts lumped with complete, hierarchy of offenses

National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS)

no hierarchy of crimes, only reporting data month at a time

NCVS

dark figure of crime, census bureau, biannual, victims under or over report

Self reports

offender based, typically youth crime

Describe some recent crime trends

overall decrease of violence crimes, peak in the 90s, most murder done by males

Crime patterns - ecology and crime

peak months for violent crimes in december/january and july and august. urban areas have increased crime rates because opportunities increase with population density

Crime patterns - social class

no relationship between crime and social class

Crime patterns - gender and crime

around 73% male in index crime arrests

Crime patterns - race and crime

66% white, 27% black, no relationship between race and crime

Crime patterns - age and crime

age inversely related to crime, peak age around 17

Predator criminality

interpersonal injury causing crime in which usually innocent helpless victims are randomly chosen

Icons of modern mass media

Criminals that commit the most rare crimes are given more attention and devotion in media. ex. ted bundy

Othering

making criminals seem vastly different from the regular person to make the public believe they’re incapable of committing murder

Quintessential criminal predator

type of predator we’ve elevated to be the rarest. serial killers and mass murderers

Murderabilia

Collection of memorabilia from murderers - crime scene evidence, paintings done by them

Multicide

multiple murder, the killing of more than one person

Serial murder

killing on three or more occasions with a cooling-off period between each incident 

Mass murder

killing four or more victims in one location in one incident 

Spree murder:

when someone commits murder at two or more separate locations with no cooling-off period

Mass shooting

an event in which four or more victims are killed by gunfire within a 24 hour period of time, excluding the death of the perpetrator (media generated)

How does changing the definition of serial murders benefit the media?

Classifies more murders as serial killings which gives more usable information for textbooks

Media uses data from gun violence archive keeps track of mass shootings, but definition is 4 or more people shot not necessarily killed. What is the impact of this?

There is a significant difference between being shot and being killed but this information is not always clearly communicated which can lead to misconceptions

What is the trend for serial killings

Peak was in 70’s to 80’s and had decreased since then

Fox and Levin Thrill killers

enjoy the thrill strive for sexual sadism or dominance and derive pleasure from long lasting kills

Fox and Levin Mission killers

want to reform the world or have a vision that drives them 

Fox and Levin Expedience killers

out for profit or want to protect themselves from a perceived threat

Holmes & Holmes Hedonistic Lust killer

obtain sexual pleasure from killing

Holmes & Holmes thrill killer

derives sexual satisfaction from live victim

Holmes & Holmes comfort killers

murder for creature comfort

Holmes & Holmes power / control killer

kills to obtain a sense of domination and total control over victim

Holmes & Holmes mission killer

on a mission to rid the world of people he perceives as unworthy or inferior

Holmes & Holmes visionary killer

driven by voices or images that command them to kill

Fox and levin: revenge killers

want to get even with individuals or society at large

Fox and levin: love killers

motivated by warped sense of devotion

Fox and levin: profit killers

usually trying to cover up a crime, eliminate witnesses

Fox and levin: terrorist killers

trying to send a message