Media and Crime

Question 1

What are the 3 theories relating to how crime is over-represented in the media?

Answer 1

• distortion of crime by news based media
• distorted representations in fictional media
• over representation of crime and “news values”
• media representation leads to fear of crime

Question 2

According to sociologists, how is crime distorted by news-based media?

Answer 2

When it comes to the real world, a crime story will captivate an audience and sell more newspapers e.c.t. This increase in viewing figures will lead to people holding a “distorted” view of what crime actually is

Question 3

What are the 6 ways in which news-based media distorts crime?

Answer 3

1) wrong impression about extent of violent and sexual crimes
2) wrong impression about characteristics of victim
3) exaggerates success of the police
4) reports crime as being separate events
5) exaggerates risk of being a victim
6) over-dramatises crime

Question 4

How does the media create the wrong impression about the extent of violent and sexual crime? (distortion by news-based media)

Answer 4

In their 1983 study, Ditton and Duffy found that 46% of news stories focussed on violent and sexual crime whereas they only accounted for 3% of all crime

Question 5

How does the media create the wrong impression about the characteristics of a typical victim (distortion by news-based media)

Answer 5

Middle class and older victims get more attention, this is an age fallacy where in reality younger and middle age individuals are more likely to be victims

Question 6

How does the media exaggerate the successes of the police? (distortion by news-based media)

Answer 6

Media focusses on events that the police have dealt with well, this is due to the media focussing on violent crime which is more likely to be followed up by the police

Question 7

How does the media exaggerate the risk of being a victim? (distortion by news-based media)

Answer 7

Makes people feel that they are extremely likely to be targeted, especially for women

Question 8

How does the media report crime as being unrelated events? (distortion by news-based media)

Answer 8

Fails to recognise structural themes that may cause crime such as capitalism

Question 9

How does the media overdramatise crime? (distortion by news-based media)

Answer 9

By paying more attention to extraordinary crimes (terrorism) and downplaying mundane crime such as burglary

Question 10

Evaluation of the view that news-based media distorts crime?

Answer 10

Less common crimes are of more interest to people

Question 11

According to Surette, how do distorted representations occur in fictional media?

Answer 11

The medias fixation with crime creates a “backwards law” in which media generated images are in opposition to reality. Media bears little resemblance to what actually occurs and creates a hyper-reality in which perceptions are inaccurate.

Question 12

According to Surette, what are the 4 ways in which fictional media distorts crime?

Answer 12

1) property based crime gets no attention, although most common
2) fictional media portrays crime as randomised
3) sexual violence in committed by strangers, it is not
4) police have high success rate

Question 13

Evaluation of the view that fictional media distorts crime?

Answer 13

Most people have the capacity to distinguish between fiction and reality

Question 14

According to Cohen and Young, how is crime over-represented?

Answer 14

Claim that news is not discovered, instead manufactured. The criteria that journalists place on whether on a story is important enough are referred to as “news values”

Question 15

According to Cohen and Young, what are the 8 “news values” that journalists look for when reporting on a crime?

Answer 15

1) immediacy (is info available?)
2) dramatised (is the story exciting?)
3) personalisation (can public relate with victim?)
4) high status individuals (is victim important?)
5) simplified (easy to understand story?)
6) unexpected (terrorist attack?)
7) high risk individual (vulnerable victim?)
8) extreme violence

Question 16

Evaluation of the view that the media over-represents crime?

Answer 16

Large number of cases that fulfil criteria go unnoticed

Question 17

According to sociologists, how can media representation lead to fear?

Answer 17

All the medias talk about violence and victimisation can have an effect on peoples sense of fear too.

Question 18

According to Hall and Cohen, what are folk devils? (media creating fear)

Answer 18

Folk devils are individuals labelled as a threat to society. Excessive reporting on such people leads to a moral panic whereby people have an exaggerated fear of a particular social issue and the media have represented it in a way to scare people

Question 19

According to Gerbner, what studies are there to show that excessive media users are more likely to be scared of crime? (media creating fear)

Answer 19

In the USA, heavy users of TV had higher levels of fear when it came to violence

Question 20

Evaluation of the view that the media leads to a fear of crime?

Answer 20

Ignores fact people can interpret crime in different ways

Question 21

According to Cohen (1964), what was his study into the media and moral panics?

Answer 21

Studied the media representation of ‘mods and rockers’ in the 1960s. Demostrated how a small act of violence was blew out of proportion and created a fear amongst adults that youths were ‘out of control’

Question 22

According to Cohen (1964), what are the 4 stages of a moral panic?

Answer 22

1) initial reports on the problem
2) sensational language and dramatic pictures
3) attaches ‘symbols’ to the problem
4) moral panic is consolidated

Question 23

Evaluation of Cohen’s view on moral panics?

Answer 23

Useful in showing how media can inflict fear into a nation.

Question 24

What are the 4 further studies into moral panics?

Answer 24

• Postmodernism and moral panics are a product of risk
• Interactionism and moral panics are common during social change
• Marxism and divide and rule
• Realism and a product of inner city crime

Question 25

According to Beck, how are moral panics a product of a risk society? (postmodernism)

Answer 25

Argues that society is characterised by a heightened consciousness of risk caused by a disintegration of old cultural identities. For example, people are less religious meaning society is less stable. New types of scientific and environmental risks have emerged which damages society. Consequently members of society worry more about the risks to their families and communities. Moral panics are therefore a symptom of society today as media reports on activities in a way that instils fear into people

Question 26

Evaluation of the postmodern view of moral panics?

Answer 26

Ignores the extent to which people can think critically about media

Question 27

According to Interactionists, how are moral panics common during periods of social change?

Answer 27

Note that moral panics arise most often when society is undergoing a moral crisis whereby people are in conflict with each other. Crises are usually linked to social change and modernisation. For example, the first moral panics about youths emerged in the 1950s and 1960s, and coincided with youths becoming their own distinctive consumer group. Up until the 1940s, there was no transitionary phase for young people, they were simply children and then adults. This period of change triggered the panicked youth reporting and made older generations concerned that social developments were undermining moral order

Question 28

Evaluation of the interactionist view on moral panics?

Answer 28

Society is not constantly in a state of change and a moral panic hasn’t always occured

Question 29

According to Marxists, how are moral panics used to divide and rule the population?

Answer 29

Moral panics are an ideological tool of the capitalist class, they are aimed at diverting attention away from the problems caused by capitalism. In the 1970s, Britain experienced a crisis of hegemony whereby the capitalist class were challenged by economic hardship. Capitalism in this time was openly challenged. Conservatives therefore created a moral panic around knife offences in Britain, creating names such as a folk devil of black youths as muggers. This turns low income groups in society against themselves blaming each other for the problems caused by capitalism

Question 30

Evaluation of the Marxist perspectives on moral panics?

Answer 30

Impossible to investigate collusion between police and ruling class to create a moral panic

Question 31

According to Realists, how are moral panics a product of inner-city crime?

Answer 31

Realists argue that moral panics are often based upon reality and fact, i.e. groups that live in inner city areas. Note that other theorists deny the reality behind the event that caused the moral panic wrongly portraying them as fantasies. Realists note these perspective damage those affected by crime and portrays the media as naive. Moral panics are therefore justified in many cases

Question 32

What are the 5 ways in which the media causes crime?

Answer 32

• consolidates relative deprivation
• teach people criminal skills
• deviance amplification
• promotes crime

Question 33

How does media consolidating relative deprivation lead to a cause in crime?

Answer 33

Social media shows people who have more than they do, left realists claim that advertisements via the media show people they must have material wealth in order to be satisfied. Furthermore, growth in celebrity culture show people what other people enjoy. People then innovate

Question 34

How does the media teaching criminal skills lead to a cause in crime? (3 reasons)

Answer 34

1) develop specialised skills, criminals replicate things they see in media
2) aroused, sexual violence via porn
3) desensitised, lose a sense of what is right and wrong

Question 35

How does the media bringing about deviance amplification lead to a cause in crime?

Answer 35

Media is a powerful tool to publicly name a shame people, individual develops a deviant career whereby they cannot re-integrate back into society and therefore turn to crime. Makes crime get worse because those with a criminal record are villified.

Question 36

How does the media promoting crime lead to a cause in crime?

Answer 36

Media unintentionally promotes crime,

1) social media means people can express extreme opinions on why justice system fails
2) glamourises crime, it is a route to success and respect
3) crime is a commodity, brands and cars represent crime

Question 37

What are the 5 types of cyber-crime?

Answer 37

• cyber tresspass (hacking)
• cyber theft (stealing money from victims)
• cyber porn (sharing illegal videos)
• cyber violence (online bullying and abuse)
• global cyber crime (war, e.c.t, made possible by communication network)