Impact Of Media Representation In Crime (AC 1.5) Flashcards
Moral panic?
Moral panic is when the media exaggerate levels of serious crime and the risk of becoming a victim, which causes unnecessary public anxiety and alarm.
The impact of this is that the public can grow wary of particular groups due to the dramatisation of threats and danger in the media. Example- terrorism
Changing public concerns and attitudes?
Over time, public concerns change. This can be a result of over reporting in the media and social media covering the same type of crime for an extended period of time. It causes the public to become unnecessarily fearful. Example- the media is reporting rises in knife crime in London.
Perceptions of crime trends?
The public may believe that a crime is very active and is at a dangerous level, when in fact it is not.
Research suggests that crime is decreasing, however people believe it is increasing. This is again caused by over-reporting in the media.
Stereotyping of criminals?
In the uk, young People are stereotyped as criminal more than. Other age groups. This is due to the public having exaggerated views of teenagers and their behaviour.
Example- the mods and rockers case in 1967. The language used in courts described their actions as representative of all young people.
Levels of response to crime and types of punishment?
The levels of response to crime and types of punishment vary depending on the severity of the crime in the eyes of the law. If the media sensationalises the crime and causes the public to become fearful, it may cause police and governments to give out more serious punishments in order to calm the publics anxiety.
Changing priorities and emphasis?
In the uk there are certain priorities for various crimes, as well as the media likes to emphasise and report on particular crimes such as terrorism, assault, murder. This leads to the publics perception of that crime being unrealistic and unreliable.
