Crime and the media

?
  • Created by: EloiseMay
  • Created on: 21-03-18 08:27

Moral panics

Moral entrepreneurs that disapprove a behaviour can use the media to pressure authorities to do something e.g. campaigns to ban marijuana led to the Marijuana Tax Act. As the media labelled it as deviant, it caused crime.                                                A moral panic is an exaggerated over-reaction from society to a percieved problem which enlarges the problem.                            The media identify a group as folk devil and present them negatively which causes moral entrepreneurs to condemn them.     This leads to a crackdown, causing more deviants to be identified which means tougher action - self-fulfilling prophecy and deviance amplification spiral. 

Mods and Rockers - Cohen. Mods dressed smart and rode scooters, rockers wore leather and rode motorbikes (W/C teens). Easter weekend in 1962 there were some scuffles and a few broken windows but the media exaggerated the problem by using sensational headlines like 'Day of Terror by Scooter Gangs'. The media also predicted that there would be future conflict. Symbols of the groups e.g. bikes and clothes were negatively labelled; therefore, bikers around the country who behaved badly were believed to be part of an underlying problem

Comments

No comments have yet been made