Crime & the Media

Question 1

what % of news paper space do British newspapers devote to crime?

Answer 1

Williams and Dickinson
30%

Question 2

what evidence shows that the media over represents violent and sexual crimes?

Answer 2

Ditton and Duffy
46% of media reports were about violent or sexual crimes but these only made up 3% of all crimes recorded by the police

Question 3

How do the media typically portray criminals and victims of crime?

Answer 3

As older, middle class
Felson; this is older than those typically found in the criminal justice system, calls this ‘age fallacy’

Question 4

How is the media not a real repsentation of crime?

Answer 4

• exaggerates police success, street crimes have higher clear up rate
• exaggerate risk of victimisation, especially for women, elderly

Question 5

Why has the type of crimes covered by the media changed?

Answer 5

Tumber
In the 1960s, focus was on murders and petty crime
1990s, these were of less interest to the media due to the abolition of death penalty and rise in street crimes meant crime had to be ‘special’ to attract coverage

Question 6

How is there a preoccupation with sex crimes in the media?

Answer 6

Soothill and Walby
found that newpaper reporting of rape cases increased from under 1/4 of all cases in 1851 to over 1/5 in 1995
label attacker as a ‘beast’
distorted picture of rape as an attack carried out by psychopathic strangers while in most cases the victim knows their attacker

Question 7

what values influence the selection of crime stories?

Answer 7

• immidiacy; ‘breaking news’
• high status persons ‘celebrities’
• dramatisation, action and excitement

Question 8

what are several ways the media contributes to crime?

Answer 8

• imitation, by providing deviant role models resulting in ‘copy cat’ behaviour
• portraying police as incompetent
• desensitisation, through repeated viewing of violent/sexual imagery

Question 9

How does the media contribute to crime by causing relative deprivation?

Answer 9

Lea & Young
* The media spreads materialistic values – constantly showing wealth, luxury, and success.

• This creates relative deprivation: people feel deprived when comparing their own lives to what others seem to have.
• Especially affects the working class and marginalised groups who can’t access these lifestyles legally.
• This pressure fuels frustration and may lead to utilitarian crime (e.g. theft, robbery) to get what they feel entitled to

Question 10

How is crime exciting due to the media?

Answer 10

Hayward and Young

Media blurs the line between reality and fiction, crime and entertainment.
Crime is now a spectacle — seen in films, TV, rap music, social media.
This makes criminal behaviour appear stylish, desirable, and exciting
For some youth, especially those marginalised, crime becomes a way of expressing identity
The media encourages constant consumption but not everyone can afford it.
This leads to relative deprivation (like Lea & Young said) and pressure to achieve through illegitimate means.

Question 11

how is there a commodification of crime?

Answer 11

hayward & fenwick

symbols of deviance (e.g. gang signs, hoodies, graffiti, weapons) are now used in fashion, ads, and pop culture.
Crime is no longer just behaviour — it’s a look, a vibe, a commodity
Media & advertisers take criminal imagery and make it cool and sellable (e.g. GTA, fashion lines, music videos

Question 12

example of how the media contributes to moral panics?

Answer 12

• Cohen studied the media and public reaction to clashes between Mods (stylish scooter-riding youth) and Rockers
• conflicts were minor scuffles
• media sensationalised the events: headlines like “Wild Youth on the Rampage”.
• Stories used emotive language, reused photos, and exaggerated numbers of people involved