CRIME AND THE MEDIA Flashcards
How do media representations of crime differ from official statistics?
The media over-represent violent and sexual crime, portraying them more than they actually occur in official statistics. For instance, Ditton and Duffy (1983) found that 46% of media reports were about violent or sexual crimes, yet these constituted only 3% of all recorded crimes.
What is the ‘age fallacy’ in media portrayals of crime?
The media portray criminals and victims as older and more middle-class than those typically found in the criminal justice system. This phenomenon is referred to as the ‘age fallacy’ by Felson (1998).
How does media coverage affect perceptions of police success?
Media coverage exaggerates police success in solving cases, partly because police are a major source of crime stories and want to present themselves positively.
What changes occurred in crime coverage by the news media from the 1960s to the 1990s?
In the 1960s, the focus was on murders and petty crime, but by the 1990s, coverage expanded to include drugs, child abuse, terrorism, and other crimes due to rising crime rates.
What trend was observed in newspaper reporting of rape cases from 1951 to 1985?
Reporting of rape cases increased from under a quarter of all cases in 1951 to over a third in 1985, often focusing on identifying a ‘sex fiend’ or ‘beast’.
What are ‘news values’ in the context of crime coverage?
News values are the criteria that journalists and editors use to determine whether a story is newsworthy, influencing the selection of crime stories.
What key news values influence the selection of crime stories?
Key news values include immediacy, dramatisation, personalisation, and risk, which make deviance newsworthy.
How do fictional representations of crime differ from real-life statistics?
Fictional representations often follow ‘the law of opposites’, under-representing property crime while over-representing violence, drugs, and sex crimes.
What are some potential negative effects of media on attitudes and behavior?
The media may cause imitation of deviant behavior, arousal from violent imagery, desensitization to violence, and portrayals of police incompetence.
What did Schramm et al (1961) conclude about TV viewing and children?
They found that for some children, under certain conditions, some television is harmful, but for most children, it is neither particularly harmful nor beneficial.
How does the media contribute to fear of crime?
The media exaggerate violent crime and the risks certain groups face, leading to an unrealistic fear of crime among the public.
What correlation exists between media consumption and fear of crime?
Research shows that heavy users of television often report higher levels of fear of crime, but correlation does not imply causation.
How do media portrayals of lifestyles affect crime?
Media portrayals of a materialistic ‘good life’ can increase feelings of relative deprivation among marginalized groups, potentially leading to crime.
What is cultural criminology’s perspective on the media and crime?
Cultural criminology argues that the media not only produce crime but also encourage audiences to consume crime as a commodity.
How do corporations use media images of crime?
Corporations market crime-related images to sell products, particularly in youth culture, where crime becomes a style to be consumed.
What is a moral panic?
A moral panic is an exaggerated societal reaction to a perceived problem, often driven by media portrayal, that amplifies the issue beyond its actual seriousness.
What elements characterize the media’s role in moral panics?
The media identify a group as a threat, present them negatively, and exaggerate the scale of the problem, leading to calls for crackdowns.
What did Cohen’s study of mods and rockers reveal about media influence?
Cohen found that media exaggeration of minor disturbances between mods and rockers created a moral panic, leading to increased control responses and further marginalization.
What is the deviance amplification spiral?
The deviance amplification spiral occurs when media portrayals of a group lead to increased control measures, further stigmatizing the group and perpetuating deviance.
What effect did media portrayal have on mods and rockers?
The media amplified deviance by defining the two groups and their subculture styles, leading to increased marginalisation and stigmatisation as deviants.
How did the media contribute to the escalation of conflict between mods and rockers?
By emphasising their supposed differences, the media crystallised two distinct identities and transformed loose-knit groupings into two-knight gangs, encouraging polarisation.
What role do media definitions play in moral panic according to Cohen?
Media definitions are crucial in moral panic as they shape public perception, especially in large-scale societies where people rely on media for information.
What is a ‘folk devil’ in the context of moral panic?
A folk devil is a group portrayed by the media as a major threat to public order and social values, symbolising anxieties about social disorder.
What societal changes did Cohen associate with the moral panic about mods and rockers?
Cohen linked the moral panic to post-war British societal changes, including newfound affluence and consumerism, which challenged older values.
How can moral panics be viewed from a Functionalist perspective?
Moral panics can be seen as responses to anomie created by change, dramatising threats to society and reasserting social controls.
What is a criticism of the concept of moral panics?
It assumes societal reactions are disproportionate, but determining what constitutes a proportionate reaction is subjective.
What do McRobbie and Thornton argue about moral panics in late modern society?
They argue that moral panic is now routine and has less impact, with less consensus on what is considered deviant.
What is cybercrime?
Cybercrime refers to crimes conducted through global electronic networks, often facilitated by the Internet.
What types of crimes does the Internet facilitate according to Yvonne Jewkes?
The Internet creates opportunities for both conventional crimes, such as fraud, and new crimes using new tools, like software piracy.
What are the four categories of cybercrime identified by Wall?
- Cyber-trespass: hacking and sabotage.
- Cyber-deception and theft: identity theft and phishing.
- Cyber-pornography: access to illegal porn.
- Cyber-violence: psychological harm and inciting physical harm.
What challenges do police face in combating cybercrime?
Policing cybercrime is difficult due to the scale of the Internet, limited police resources, and jurisdictional issues.
How does information and communication technology (ICT) assist in surveillance?
ICT allows for routine surveillance through CCTV, electronic databases, digital fingerprinting, and monitoring of email traffic.
