6. Crime and The Media - 1. Media Content and Crime Flashcards
Which G and R carried out a review of newspapers coverage of crime?
Greer and Reiner
What did Greer and Reiner find about newspaper coverage of crime?
Increase in coverage over time
Tabloids (E.g. Sun/Express) devote higher proportion of space to crime
Violence offences more likely to feature than property crime even though property crime is highest committed crime
What did Williams and Dickinson find about coverage of crime in 2 British newspapers?
30% of newspaper coverage was crime in The Sun
5% of newspaper coverage was crime in The Guardian
What is the most widely reported type of crime by newspapers?
Homicide
What about the offenders affects the likelihood of a crime being reported?
The characteristics of the offender
Who conducted research into the coverage of homicide in 3 British newspapers over a 40 year period?
Peelo et al
According to Peelo et al, homicide cases were most likely to get coverage if they involved:
Sexual motives
Monetary gain
Revenge
Jealousy
The murder of which type of people get the most coverage in newspapers according to Peelo et al?
Murder of children, women and high-status/celebrities
According to Newburn, why can crime coverage by the media be misleading?
Disproportionately features high-status and older offenders even though young people are most likely to offend
Exaggerates police success
Exaggerates risk of being a victim
Has little coverage of trends or underlying causes of crime
Gives impression that violent or sexual crimes are much more common than they are
What is pluralism?
Pluralism is one of the most influential theories of what some crimes, but not all crimes, are selected for inclusion in the media
Why do pluralists believe the media reflects the interactions of the public?
Because the media will make profit is it runs stories that the public care about
Pluralist view of the media coverage of crime
The media provides fair, balanced and diverse content in response to what the public wants
What are news values?
Selection of content is shaped by what journalists view to make a good story
8 news values
Sex
Celebrity or high-status
Proximity
Violence
Unexpectedness
Drama
Conservative ideology
Risk
Cohen and Young’s view of crime and the construction of reality
There is a manufactured picture of society presented in crime news
