Media & Crime

Question 1

Crime as a ‘consumer spectacle’

Answer 1

• Media companies know that crime sells - it’s become infotainment
• Scary, shocking, or unusual crimes are reported to grab consumer attention and sell papers

Question 2

Crime in ‘Agenda Setting’ by Media & Gov

Answer 2

• Most know about events in the world through media and don’t do their own research afterwards
• Media can set political agenda by making the public worried about anything they choose

Question 3

Greer & Reiner (2012): News Values

Answer 3

• News companies have capitalist values - want to make money
• Events filtered by expected sales value before publishing
• We only see stories that are considered newsworthy (likely to be popular) by editors - news isn’t ever impartial

Question 4

Surette (2010): The ‘Backwards Law’

Answer 4

• Exciting/shocking crimes (eg. serial killings) are usually very rare - always published due to news values when they happen
• ‘Boring’ common crimes (eg. burglary) barely reported
• People think rare crimes are common, and common crimes are rare

Question 5

Hall et al (1978): ‘Deviancy Amplification’

Answer 5

• Highlight increase in C&D that happens when it’s exaggerated in media
• See shocking crime stories daily & assume crime is everywhere and become worried - become suspicious of all
• Sense of paranoia and panic created - increases likelihood of C&D

Question 6

Moral Panic

Answer 6

Paranoid outrage we feel when crime is always on our minds - worried our moral boundaries are constantly transgressed & we have no control

Question 7

Folk Devils

Answer 7

Those scapegoated by media when there’s moral panic (eg. migrants in 2020s, Black muggers in 1980s, Mods & Rockers in 1960s)

Question 8

Baudrillard (2001): Hyperreality of Crime

Answer 8

• Media’s influence is so powerful that they socially construct crime, rather than reporting selectively
• Sensational crimes reported daily, mundane crimes rarely reported - people may become desensitised to sensational crime and commit it more often
• Stories aren’t just real, they can create/change reality

Question 9

Green & Reiner (2012): Does the Media cause Crime?

Answer 9

• Labelling & Deviancy Amplification
• Increasing motive by glamorising criminals
• Increasing knowledge and skills of criminals
• Providing new/easier means to commit crime
• Reducing informal and formal social control
• Mock police - loss of confidence
• Providing targets for criminals
• Moral entrepeneurs use moral panic for profit

Question 10

Left Realists

Answer 10

Media reporting of crime disguises the reality that both offenders and victims are mainly poor & WC

Question 11

Marxists

Answer 11

Point to concealment of significance of white collar/corporate crime (eg. tax fraud, pollution), which are rarely reported

Question 12

Bandura (1982): Social Learning Theory

Answer 12

• Media provide role models
• We want to be like them - imitate their actions in our lives
• Imitate more readily if RM receives praise/is portrayed more positively
• Crime is glorified on screen/hero figures commit crime - society may become violent
• Often applied to understand the effect of modern terrorist propaganda