Crime and the Media

The general public’s main source of information about crime is the mass media - newspapers, television news, documentaries, crime novels, videogames, films and television dramas.

Mass media and crime

Some sociologists have studied the relationship between crime and the mass media, and a number of key links have been made between the media reporting of crime and actual crime.

• Why is crime so net worthy?

• Does the media create the conditions for crime with its emphasis on celebrity culture and materialism?

• Does the media sensationalise crime and cause moral panics?

• Does media coverage of crime create a fear of crime?

• Does the violent and anti-social content of films, television programmes and rap music result in imitative criminal behaviour?

The newsworthiness of crime

• News is a socially manufactured product. this means that it is the end result of a complex process involving journalists and editors applying a set of criteria known as news values in order to judge weather a story is net worthy and therefore will attract a large audience and sell newspapers.

  Jewkes (2011) observes that crime is net worthy for several reasons:

• It is bad news. Negative news sells more papers and attracts larger television audiences than good ones.

• It has a human interest element- it can happen to anybody. We are all at risk of being victims of crime.

• Crime is dramatic in terms of its effects on the victim.

• Particular crimes- violent crimes committed by women or those in which children are victims , attract more meda attention as they are relatively rare.

Is news coverage realistic?

Many sociologists argue that news coverage of crime is often exaggerated and creates problems, including:

• moral panics about crime, which often result in some groups being unfairly discriminated against by society and the criminal justice system.

• unfounded fear of crime, especially among women and the elderly.

Ditton and Duffy found that nearly half of the media reports of crime focus on murder reports or rape, despite the fact that these crimes only make up 3% of the police reports.

The fallacies of crime.

Felson (2002) claims that the media reporting about crime reinforces myths or fallacies about crime.

-For example that women and m/c people are the main victims of crime and that most crime is planned, when in reality most victims are w/c men and most crime is spontaneous.

Sociological theory and media effects

• Functionalists such as Reiner claim that media and advertising representations of material success are partly responsible for crime because they have created anomie or moral uncertainty among poorer sections of society . Reiner that the media falsely raises people’s expectations and hopes with regard to monetary success and access to consumer goods.

• Left realists argue that these media representations serve to highlight and reinforce the sense of relative deprivation and social exclusion felt by poorer groups who cannot afford the “good life” shown in the media reports of celebrity lifestyle.

Key idea 1- Media representations of crime

Point: the media gives a distorted view of crime

Explain: The media often exaggerates or sensationalizes certain types of crime, such as violent offenses, creating a distorted perception of how prevalent these crimes are in society. This distortion can lead to fear and misinformed public attitudes, as the media tends to focus on dramatic, rare incidents rather than the more common, less newsworthy forms of crime.

Examples: A contemporary example of the media distorting the view of crime is the frequent sensational coverage of "stranger danger" abductions, which creates widespread fear despite such incidents being rare. In contrast, the media often underrepresents more common crimes, like domestic abuse, which are less dramatic but significantly more frequent.

Analysis: The media's focus on rare and dramatic crimes, like stranger abductions or high-profile murders, distorts the public's understanding of crime by inflating the perceived risk of such events occurring. This selective coverage creates a "fear of crime" in society, even though statistics show that most crimes are less sensational, such as theft or domestic violence, which often receive less media attention. This can result in misdirected public concern and pressure on policymakers to address issues that are not as prevalent, while underplaying the importance of addressing more common, yet less media-friendly, forms of crime.

Evaluation: The media often highlights crimes committed by marginalized groups, perpetuating stereotypes about race, class, and ethnicity, while ignoring structural factors such as poverty or lack of education that contribute to crime. Additionally, the "fear of crime" generated by distorted media portrayals can lead to over-policing and punitive policies that disproportionately affect disadvantaged communities, rather than addressing the root causes of crime.

Point: Certain crimes, criminals and victims are more newsworthy

Explain: Certain crimes, criminals, and victims are considered more newsworthy because they align with public fears or societal interests, often focusing on violent, sensational, or high-profile cases. Media outlets tend to prioritize stories that attract attention or reinforce particular narratives, such as crimes involving celebrities or exotic offenders, while neglecting less dramatic but more common incidents.

Examples: A modern-day example of this is the extensive media coverage of the murder of celebrity figures like the death of George Floyd, which sparked global attention, compared to the relatively limited coverage of everyday violence or crimes in lower-income neighbourhoods. This focus often highlights the race or status of the victim, while more common victims of violence, especially from marginalized communities, may receive little to no media attention.

Analysis: Media attract viewers and generate profit, often focusing on high-profile victims or offenders who fit societal stereotypes about danger or deviance. This selective coverage reflects broader power dynamics, as the media tends to amplify stories involving people from more privileged backgrounds, reinforcing societal perceptions of what is considered "important" or "newsworthy."

Evaluation: This focus can lead to a distorted view of crime, as it tends to exaggerate the prevalence of certain types of crime, like violent crimes involving celebrities or individuals from wealthier backgrounds, while underreporting more common offenses in disadvantaged areas. On the other hand, it's important to recognize that alternative media platforms and investigative journalism can challenge mainstream narratives and shed light on overlooked or underreported crimes, which offers a more balanced understanding of crime.

Point: The media can cause an increased fear of crime

Explain: The media can amplify the fear of crime by repeatedly covering violent or shocking incidents, creating a distorted perception that crime is more prevalent than it actually is. This heightened fear can lead to a sense of insecurity, with individuals overestimating their risk of victimization and pushing for more punitive measures or increased surveillance.

Example: A modern example of the media causing increased fear of crime is the extensive coverage of "car-jacking" incidents, often sensationalized in news stories, which leads to widespread fear of this crime despite its actual occurrence being relatively rare. This media focus can result in people becoming overly cautious or changing their behavior, such as avoiding certain areas, even though their actual risk of victimization is low.

Analysis: Cohen - Mods and Rockers- media used them to blame crime on them and negatively labelled them.

Evaluation:

• Too deterministic, it doesn’t prove that media causes fear and also fear comes before the media- it is an emotion.

Key idea 2 - Media as a cause of crime

The Hypodermic Syringe Model

Point: The media as a direct cause of crime- Hypodermic Syringe Model

Explain: The Hypodermic Syringe Model suggests that the media injects powerful messages directly into the audience, influencing their behaviour and potentially causing criminal actions. It implies that individuals passively absorb media content, which can lead to imitation of criminal behaviours portrayed in films, news, or other forms of media.

Example: A modern-day example of the Hypodermic Syringe Model is the way violent video games or sensationalized news coverage can influence individuals, particularly younger audiences, to imitate aggressive or criminal behaviors. For instance, high-profile cases of school shootings often involve perpetrators who were exposed to violent media, leading to debates about the impact of violent content on real-world actions.

Evaluation:

• Geer and Reiner note, much ‘effects’ research on the media as a cause of crime ignores the meanings that viewers give to media violence.

• -For example, they may give very different meanings to violence in cartoons, horror films, and new bulletins

• Too simplistic? Not all audience members are passive and ‘easily led’

• Not everyone will react the same way to media message

• assumes the media is powerful, ignores the influence of other agents of socialisation.

Key idea 3

Point: The media promotes and ‘American Dream’ increasing experiences of strain to achieve societies shared goals. Strain theory

Explain: Merton

• Based around the idea of the American Dream in the 1950’s , Merton believed that crime is a response to the strain placed on people to achieve the goals and values of society.

• The problem is there are insufficient opportunities for all to achieve the Dream

  ( unequal opportunity structure)

Example: Type1, Type 2, Type 3, Type 4, Type 5

Evaluation:

• Fails to explain non-utilitarian crime.

• Underestimates the amount of crime committed by those who have achieved societal goals.

Point: The media is an agent of capitalism used to encourage greed and consumption. Capitalism is Criminogenic

Explain: Capitalism is criminogenic ( Gordon) because by its very nature it leads to crime as it causes exploitation of the working class. Capitalism encourages consumption. Competition and materialism. This is found in all social classes despites what official statistics suggest.

Examples: The Nike Jordan example. Mods and Rockers. #

Evaluation:

• Inequality has increased but the crime has been falling

  - Suggesting that there is not no straight forward link between inquiring, consumption, and crime

Crime still exists in a non-capitalism societies (e.g tribal or communist societies )

Key idea 4

Point: The media increases a feeling of relative deprivation

Explain: Lea & Young

-The media helps to increase the sense of relative deprivation among the poor and marginalised social groups

-In postmodern society, even the poorest have media access, the media presents to everyone with images of a materialistic ‘good life’

- This simulates a sense of exclusion felt by marginalised groups who cannot afford these goods- leading to crime

Examples:

-Our media saturated society has lead to the poorest being “culturally included but economically excluded” (Nightingale)

-Resentment of those seen via the media as receiving ‘undeservedly high rewards’ (e.g footballers)

-The middle class may resent the underclass for their idle lifestyle (relative deprivation downwards)

Evaluation: The majority of those living in relatively deprived communities do not turn to crime

Key Idea 5

Point: The media promotes an image of hegemonic masculinity which some men assert throughout committing crime

Explain: Kaz

• In a postmodern world where traditional forms of masculinity have been lost

• Despite de-industrialisation, the media still perpetuates that to be a man you need to be ‘tough’

• Most youths are in a state of ‘drift’ and any event giving them a clear sense of identity is welcomed- crime is part of the ‘tough-guise’

Evaluation:

• Most males don’t commit crime

• Promotion of rap and violence presented in music videos

Key idea 6

P: The media labels and exaggerates crime creating a moral panic

E: Cohen

• The media exaggerates and distort the responding of crime

• The media predict further conflict and violence

• Symbols become negatively labelled

• Moral entrepreneurs call for increased social control- leading to stigmitation.

E: Hippies Notting Hill

E: Post modernity = Now the audience of the media is active and no longer passive therefore a less increase of a moral panic.