crime and the media Flashcards
(30 cards)
crime compared with official statistics.
- the media over represents violent and sexual crime (46% about the violent crime compared with 3% recorded to the police)
- media coverage exaggerates police success (violent crime has high success rates)
changes in the overage of crime
-1960s focus on murder but less interested in the 1990s . the change came about partly due to abolition of the death penalty , and rising crime rates means crime had to be special.
Cohen and Young
news is not discovered but manufactured- outcome of a social process where stores are selected or rejected
news values
immediacy “breaking news”
dramatization “excitement”
Mandel
(crime books) over 40 years. 10 billion crime thrillers were sold
Surette
“law of opposites” opposite of official statistics
- property crime is underrepresented
- homicides are a product of greed and not domestic
how can the media cause crime
by imitation, arousal, desentation, glamourizing offending
Livingstone
people continue to be preoccupied with rime as we regard childhood as a time of innocence
- what does research show there is a link between
there is a link between media use and the fear of crime. Gerbner et al found that heavy users of television (over 40 hours a day) had higher levels of fear of crime
does it prove there is a correlation
schiesing and tumber found a correlation between media consumption and fear o crime, with tabloid readers and heavy users of tv expressing greater fear of becoming a victim, especially of physical attack
what do left realists argue
argue that mass media help to increase the sense of relative deprivation among poor marginalised groups
how do left realists link to merton
this links to Merton as he argues, pressure to conform to the norm can cause deviant behaviour when the opportunity to achieve by legitimate means is blocked
what does cultural criminology ague?
the media turn crime itself into the commodity that people desire. rather than simply producing crime in their audiences, the media encourages them to consume crime, in the form images of crime
how does hayward and young see modern society as
as a media saturated society, where we are immersed into the “media scape” as an ever expanding tangle of fluid digital images, including images of crime.
how is crime used to sell products
corporations use media images of crime to sell products especially in the youth market
how do Fenwick and hayward describe crime
crime is packaged and marketed to young people as romantic, existing, cool, fashionable, cultural symbol
what is brandalism
graffiti is the marker of deviant urban cool , but corporations now use it in a “guerrilla market” technique called “brandalism” to sell everything from theme parks to video games.
how are designer labels linked with deviance
the designer labels valued by young people as badges of identity now function as symbols of deviance. for example some pubs and club refuse entry to indidviduals wearing certain brands
moral panic
exaggerated over reaction by society to a perceived problem driven by the media.
example of a moral panic
- the media identify a group as a folk devil and then present them in a negative way.
- moral entrepreneurs then condemn their behaviour.
- this can lead to a fulfilling prophecy, creating deviancy amplification spiral.
Cohen folk devils and moral panic
> examined the media response to WC teenagers at English seaside resorts
mods: smart dress and scooters
rockers: leather jackets and motor bikes
small scuffle between them-media overstated
1. Distortion: exaggerated the number involved and damage “day of terror”
2. Prediction: assumes further conflict
3. Symbolism: clothes and bikes associated with deviance
Deviance amplification spiral
- media’s portrayal of events produced a DAS by making it seem like it was getting out of hand.
- increased control response and stigmatisation
- media defines two identities which led to more people jollying, encouraged polarisation.
- media definition are crucial in creating a moral panic as people rely on this information on things they haven’t experienced
When do moral panics occur
Moral panics occur at times of change, reflecting anxieties- result of a boundary crisis e.g. affluence after the war
How do functionalists see moral panics
See moral panics as a way of responding to anomie, raises the correct conscience when values are threatened
