media and the representation of crime

media and the representation of crime

richard ernest shows that in his survery about 45-70% of news reportings in toronto are crime based and william shows 30% in britain however many news stories give a distorted image to actualcrime

over representation of crime and sexual offence

• sexual and violent crimes are more likely to be reported 46% more though they only make up 3% and that violent crimes are ore likely to be reported that property crimes 36 times more 

the media portray criminals and victims as older and middle class.

• this is ferson calls an age fallacy 

media coverage exaggerate police sucess

• police want a good image and cover up the property crimes with the violet

exaggerate the riskof victimisation

• based on the status they have 

overplays extrodinay events 

the media dramatieses extrodinary crimes known as the dramastic fallacy this isknown as ingenitng the criminal makng the criminal appear to be smart and clever witht their act

thier has also been a change in media coverge from murder and petty crimes being high in the 1990.

news values anf crime coverage 

• news distortes the tuth, evidence is written up and goes through a long prosess of selecting what and rejecting potential stories and working with the stories to enable the attention tobe drawn on the story 
• such as immediacy, dramatisation, personalisation, hidgher status, simplisication, novelty, risk and violence. 
• the news forcus on coverage on unusual and extroduinary events deviant acts 

fictional representation of crime

• not just the news the media do as well such as movies, ernest 10 billo thrillers sold ot from 1945-84
• fictional representation is opposite to the reality
•  they depicet violece and sex as high when it is property violence depected through greed when in reality its fights 
• sex crimes depict phsychopath when in realtiy its somone that you know 
• fiction cops get the criminal 
• but more depiction of non white offendores , they want they audiences to simpthies witht rh victim and finally the police on occastion dont catch the criminal 

the media as a cause for crime 

• the media has had a great influence on how crime has influenced childrens minds into the rout of crime such as comic thrillers in 1980 to games like grand theft auto and violent rap have influenced the minds of the young 

thugh imitatoion,sexual exploitation, criminal victory,police incomplet,criminal techi=niques repeated views of violence

however many studies do show a low effect of crime being that is only harmful for some, benficial for some and for most a  bit of both what this means is that crime dosnt effect the minds but as sonia livingstone would argue that we view children as inncocent and uncontaminated and as a result focus on the media

Fear of crime

• the media exagerates both the crimes and the victims of the crimes.Gerber et al found that people who watch tv for longer than four hours a day had a greater fear of crime  and becoming the victims 
• however it may not be based…