Media and Crime Flashcards
(24 cards)
What are popular understandings of crime based on?
Self-evident truths, personal experiences, and what is seen/heard—not evidence.
Why is the popular understandings of crime problematic?
cause generalisations that oversimplify problems and solutions
Why do people have strong opinions about crime despite limited contact?
Because of heavy reliance on media representations like documentaries and news.
What crimes does media focus on?
Violent, interpersonal crimes—especially homicides with dramatic motives or vulnerable victims.
What does Reiner et al. argue?
that the media exaggerates the police ‘clear up rates’
What does Gwen Ifill suggest about the media’s disproportionate focuses?
‘missing white woman syndrome’ =Media disproportionately covers missing white women vs. women of colour
What are key focuses of criminology regarding media?
Content, consequences, and causes of media crime representations
How do criminologists use media?
As secondary sources, especially from investigative journalism (e.g., The Guardian).
e.g. LSE research on London riots 2011
How does the media distort crime reality?
‘Selective representation’=By choosing atypical events and presenting them as typical.
How has the media created new types of crime?
Through cybercrime: grooming, phishing, revenge porn, cyberbullying, etc.
What is the popular belief about media causing crime?
Violent media exposure increases criminal behaviour (e.g., James Bulger case).
What incident reveals the danger with misrepresentation and the media
Southport riots - media falsely represented the offender as an asylum seeker - caused riots
Why does media misinformation matter?
It fosters distrust in all news and reinforces personal beliefs in echo chambers.
Who studied the positives and negatives of social media?
Dwiviedi et al.
What his ‘the good’ of social media?
improved crime response =Real-time police updates, public engagement, and crime broadcasting.
What is ‘the bad’ of social media?
facilitates crime =It enables old crimes (e.g., burglary) and celebrates offending behaviour
What is ‘the ugly’ of social media?
trial by media =It causes juror bias, unsafe trials, victim blaming, and secondary victimisation.
What did the Nicola Bulley case reveal?
Media speculation, TikTok detectives, and harmful police disclosure fueled misinformation.
What are Henry’s (2006) 3 elements determining crime?
- Harm 2. Social consensus 3. Official societal response.
What is the “concentric zone theory”?
Crime is concentrated in socially disorganised urban zones, especially near the city center.
How does the ‘concentric zone theory’ and ‘criminological other theory’ relate to the media?
Media and early criminology often focus on working-class or ethnic minority males, neglecting middle-class offending.
How does media portrayal of victims contradict criminological data?
Media emphasises elderly female victims, but young males are statistically more likely to be victimised.
portrays the idea of an ‘ideal victim’ =skews sympathy for victims
How do media narratives sometimes echo Amir’s ‘victim precipitation’ claims?
By implying victims of sexual violence are partly responsible, perpetuating victim-blaming myths.
What does the Shipman case reveal about media blind spots?
Media often fails to scrutinise white, middle-class professionals—despite massive harm caused.
