C&D- GLOBALISATION: MEDIA AND CRIME Flashcards
What proportion of British newspapers is dedicated to crime news?
30% of news space in British newspapers is dedicated to crime.
How does the media misrepresent crime?
Over-represents violent and sexual crimes.
Soothill and Walby: Newspaper reporting of rape cases increased significantly from the 1950s to 1980s, portraying rapists as psychopathic strangers, while most are known to victims.
Violent crime makes up over 60% of crime space in tabloids like The Sun, despite being only 20% of reported crime.
The age fallacy: Criminals and victims are portrayed as older and middle class (Felson).
The dramatic fallacy: Extraordinary crimes are overplayed, and ordinary crimes are underplayed (Felson).
The ingenuity fallacy: Criminals are portrayed as daring and clever (Felson).
How does the media exaggerate police success?
Media coverage exaggerates crime clear-up rates, portraying the police as more successful than in reality.
What is agenda setting in crime media coverage?
Agenda setting: The media influence public discourse by dedicating significant time to crime stories.
What are news values that determine crime story selection?
Immediacy: Breaking news.
Dramatisation: Action and excitement.
Personalisation: Human interest stories.
Simplification: Clear and accessible narratives.
Novelty: Unique or unexpected angles.
Risk: Victim-centred stories.
Violence: Emphasized due to its dramatic impact.
What is Surette’s law of opposites in fictional crime representations?
Property crimes are underrepresented; violent and sexual crimes are overrepresented.
Offenders are portrayed as high-status middle-class males, and police are shown as highly successful.
Recent documentaries focus on young, working-class, and ethnic minority offenders, showing police as less competent or corrupt.
How does the media contribute to crime through imitation?
Deviant role models inspire copycat behavior (e.g., Bandura’s research).
What is the desensitisation effect of media violence?
Repeated exposure to violence makes it seem normal and acceptable.
What is the link between the media and relative deprivation?
Left Realists argue that media representations of a materialistic lifestyle increase feelings of relative deprivation, which may lead to crime.
What is deviancy amplification?
Media exaggerate an issue and demonize certain groups, creating a cycle of increased crime.
S. Cohen’s study of Mods and Rockers in the 1960s demonstrated how minor disturbances were amplified into moral panics.
What are moral panics, and how are they created?
Moral panic: An exaggerated societal reaction to an issue presented as a threat.
Steps include exaggeration, prediction, symbolisation, and increased criminality from the targeted group.
Why do McRobbie and Thornton critique the idea of moral panics?
Moral panics are outdated because of:
Frequency: Too many moral panics make them less impactful.
Reflexivity: Groups attempt to create moral panics for their benefit, and the media are
skeptical.
Context: Society is fragmented, making shared responses difficult.
What are examples of cybercrime?
Cyber trespass: Hacking and spreading viruses.
Cyber deception: Phishing and identity theft.
Cyber pornography: Illegal content like child pornography.
Cyber violence: Online bullying and threats.
What is cultural criminology’s view on the media?
Hayward and Young argue that the media turn crime into a commodity, making it desirable for audiences.
How does the media cause fear of crime?
Media exaggerate risks for certain groups, such as women and the elderly.
Gerbner et al: Heavy TV viewers have higher fear of crime.
Schlesinger and Tumber: Tabloid readers are more likely to fear crime.
