media & crime

Portrayal of crime

  • Postman - media coverage is increasingly a mixture of entertainment & information → ‘infotainment’

the media shows the direct opposite of official stats

e.g. focus on murders & violent crime when most crimes are property based crimes

e.g shows victims to be more likely to be female when stats show that young men aged 19-24 are more likely to. be a victim of crime

Media causing crime

There has been long concern that the media causes negative attitudes & behaviours - especially among easily influenced groups (young, lower class, uneducated)

e.g. 1920’s - cinema was blamed for corrupting the youth, 2000’s - video games are blamed for encouraging violence

  • Fear of crime - media amplifies crime by overrepresenting violent crime → an overestimation of risk which contributes to a ‘crime wave’ mentality where people believe crime is spiralling out of control

~ news coverage follows news values - prioritising dramatic & personal stories to attract audiences → distorting perceptions & increasing fear

~ moral panics - Cohen - can lead to exaggerated fears, e.g. Mods & Rockers

~ Gerbner - ‘mean world syndrome’ - found that people who consume a lot of TV news believe the world is more dangerous than it actually is

evaluation

. not everyone is equally affected by fear of crime - factors like age, gender, & ethnicity shape responses, e.g. women & elderly tend to feel more vulnerable - 54% of women were afraid of being victims of sexual assault in a recent crime survey

. some argue that fear of crime can lead to positive outcomes - increased community vigilance, e.g. neighbourhood watch schemes

  • relative deprivation - media exposes people to high standards of wealth & success - increasing feelings of deprivation among those who lack such resources

~ consumer culture promoted by the media glorifies material success (keeping up with the kardashians)

~ this perceived injustice leads to resentment & can push individuals toward crime as a means of acquiring what they feel entitled to

evaluation

. not everyone experiencing relative deprivation commits crime

. postmodernists argue that crime is not always about deprivation - some individuals commit crime for pleasure, thrill-seeking, or identity

  • commodification of crime - Hayward & Young, postmodernists

~ crime has been turned into a product that can be bought, sold, & consumed media glamorises deviant lifestyles making criminality seem appealing rather than just something to be feared

crime has become a cultural symbol used in advertising, fashion, & entertainment

~ young people, particularly those in deprived areas, may adopt ‘criminal aesthetics’, e.g. mob wife makeup, as part of their identity

~ crime is not always driven by necessity but by style, rebellion, & excitement

~ e.g. ‘heroin chic’ popularised by Calvin Klein - featured ultra-thin models with pale skin & dark circles - glamorising heroin use

evaluation

. not everyone exposed to crime culture commits crime

. corporate hypocrisy - the media profits from crime imagery, but actual individuals who engage in crime are criminalised

moral panics

definition: widespread & exaggerated societal reaction characterised by intense fear, anxiety, & concern over a perceived threat to society

  • how moral panics are created:

  1. initial deviant act occurs - a group / behaviour breaks social norms

  2. media exaggeration & labelling - the media sensationalises the behaviour, portraying the group as dangerous (‘folk devils’)

  3. public concern & increased social control - public fear grows → pressure on authorities to act, e.g. more policing or harsher laws

  4. deviancy amplification - increased control & stigma push the labelled group further into deviance → reinforces the panic & continues the cycle

e.g. mods & rockers 1960’s, knife crime 2010’s-now

criticisms - McRobbie & Thornton

. the frequency of moral panics has increased in this media saturated world - since so many moral panics are being created, there are no longer noteworthy & fail to stick

. in the past moral panics would scapegoat a group & create folk devils - today there are many viewpoints & values in society - there is no consensus on what is or who is right & wrong

. people are wary about starting moral panics as there is the possibility of it rebounding on them, e.g. John Major’s ‘family values’ campaign was seen to be too outdated → his downfall