Crime And Deviance : Media And Crime Flashcards
Media representations of crime : Williams and Dickinson
12.7% of newspaper space is devoted to crime stories
Media representations of crime - the sun v the guardian
the Sun devoted 30.4%, compared to the Guardian who devoted 5.1%
Media representations of crime - Cumberbatch et al
40% of news on BBC radio was focused on crime
Media coverage being highly selective
Not all crime that takes place is reflected in the media
Certain crimes are given priority over others
Violent and sexual crimes are heavily reported in tabloid newspapers
White collar and corporate crime are underrepresented in tabloid newspapers
The media using ‘Interpretative Frameworks’ or ‘Frames’
Stuart Hall
The media doesn’t simply tell us about what’s happening, but offer us particular ways of understanding what they have selected
Framing refers to the way an issue is presented to the public – the ‘angle’
Put attention to certain aspects and ignoring other
E.g. language = rapists are labelled ‘beasts’ or sex fiends
Media representations - The media over-represent violent and sexual crime
Ditton and Duffy - media reports would only show sexual/violent crimes – but this only made up 3% of crime statistics.
Media representations - The media portray criminals and victims as older and more middle-class…
Than those typically found in the CJS
Felson calls this the ‘age fallacy’
Media representations - Media coverage exaggerates police success…
…In clearing up cases.
This is partly because the police are a major source of crime stories and want to present themselves in good light
Media representations - The media exaggerate the risk of victimisation
Especially to women, white people and higher status individuals
Media representations - Crime is reported as a series of separate events…
Without structure and without examining underlying causes
Media representations - The media overplay extraordinary crime…
…and underplays ordinary crimes
Felson calls this ‘dramatic fallacy’ - the media leads us to believe that in order to commit crime, you need to be clever
– Felson calls this ‘ingenuity fallacy’
Felson
The media can be guilty of presenting a picture of the patterns of crime & deviance that is far from the real thing.
He argued the media make the following errors in their reporting of the true nature of crime:
Age Fallacy: the media portrays criminals and victims as older and more middle class than those typically involved in the criminal justice system
Dramatic Fallacy: the media focus on violent & extraordinary crimes and underplays ordinary crime
Ingenuity Fallacy: the media gives impression that criminals are clever, yet most crime is opportunistic
Class Fallacy-: the media gives impression that M/C are more likely to be victims of crime
Victimisation Fallacy: the media gives the impression women, white people and higher status are most likely to be victims of crime
Police Fallacy: the media give impression that the police are more efficient & noble than they really are
Agenda setting
The media having a powerful influence over the issues that people think about, because the agenda is already set by journalists.
This is because people can only form views about the issues they’ve been informed about.
This can mean the public never discuss some subjects
Media representations may therefore influence what people believe about crime, regardless of whether or not they are accurate
Greer and Reiner
The media are always seeking newsworthy stories of crime, and they exploit the possibilities for a ‘good story’ by exaggerating, over-reporting and sensationalising some crimes out of all proportion to their actual extent in society.
They do this to generate audience interest and encourage audiences to consume / buy their media products
Jewkes
News values guide the choices that editors and journalists make when they decide what stories are newsworthy to report, and what to leave out.
Greer
It is these news values that explain why all mainstream media tend to exaggerate the extent of violent crime, and why the media fixates on whenever a celebrity deviates / commits crime