Media And Crime.

Question 1

Cohen’s _____ ________ theory links well to the media

Answer 1

Moral panic theory.

Question 2

What’s a Marxist interpretation of the role and consequence of the media in relation to crime would be…

Answer 2

That the media, as an extention of Capitalist interests, keeps people from organising and gaining class consciousness when folk devils are created or they’re kept afraid.

Question 3

What’s a good example of media sensationalism from even the pre print press era?

Answer 3

Penny dreadful novels.

Question 4

Why might the media have an incentive to mislead the public on crime, sensationalise and or exaggerate it?

Answer 4

• There’s a financial incentive, senationalised crime stories feed people’s morbid appetite.
• To distract from the crimes of the powerful.
  Eg: Box, proposes that business is incentivised to engage in criminal activity to be on top of competition.

Question 5

How does Strain theory apply to the question of media’s relationship to crime?
Who came up with strain theory?

Answer 5

The media propagates through idealisation, a standard of material success to strive for.
When this is internalised because the media advertising landscape today has become a part of socialisation and then they realise it’s not realistically achievable,
people turn to deviant means (eg: Merton’s 5 strategies)

Question 6

The media may also create crime through inspiring it.
Explain how this might happen?