Media and Crime

Question 1

Postman

Answer 1

Crime is socially constructed in the media
Agenda setting - they set the agenda of what is important and use news values to select what we see along with distorting the picture of what is actually happening

This distorts our fear of becoming a victim, alters our understanding of what patterns of crime exist and increases our concern of crime in society.

Question 2

Baudrillard

Answer 2

Hyperreality - the media doesn’t reflect reality but makes a new one

New media makes hyperreality more likely through churnalism on social media (eg same stroy on TikTok and Facebook) making it appear as though crime is everywhere and extremely common as we are constantly exposed

Social media such as Twitter is not regulated and so people can spread false info that creates a new reality and results in a moral panic (Stan Cohen)

Question 3

The elderly as victims

Answer 3

The media can be selective in focusing on some victims more than others

EG elderly people attacked by strangers in their homes makes front page news

HOWEVER

elderly abuse (abuse of elderly people by the carers they live with) reportedly affects 500,000 elderly people in the UK (Age Concern) but is largely ignored in the media

Links to skewing audience view on what crimes are common

Question 4

Greer and Reiner

Answer 4

The Media is criminogenic as it increases opportunity and is absent from control
There are 7 ways that the media causes crime:
1. Immitation
2. Arousal
3. Knowledge of criminal techniques
4. criminogenic nature of society/strain theory
5. Poor capable guardians
6. Glamourising offending
7. Desensitisation

Question 5

Greer & Reiner - Immitation

Answer 5

The media is criminogenic becasue it provides deviant role models for audiences to immitate EG Oceans 8 or Dahmer

Question 6

Greer & Reiner - Arousal

Answer 6

The media is criminogenic because it is a hub for viewing violent or sexual imagery (very profitable industries of horror and porn) and over time audiences become over exposed and desensitised to this imagery so producers have to up the ante.

Link to Gerbner and Bandura HSM - desensitisation and disinhibition effect Jamie Bulger

Question 7

Greer & Reiner - knowledge of criminal techniques

Answer 7

The media is criminogenic because it passes on knowledge of how to commit crimes and how the CJS system works so that they can get away with it EG CSI, The Bill, Getting Away With Murder

Question 8

Greer & Reiner - criminogenic nature of society/strain theory

Answer 8

The media is criminogenic because Advertising on the media (especially in a media saturated society) increases a desire for material goods

Strain = where there is a gap between the status and material goods someone wants and what they have/can have so they resort to crime (merton)

Question 9

Greer & Reiner - Poor capable Guardians

Answer 9

The media is criminogenic because it often represents the police as incompetent (EG news reports of Stephen Lawrence case) which makes criminals feel as though they can get away with offending

Question 10

Greer & Reiner - Glamourising offending

Answer 10

The media is criminogenic because There are shows that provide you with the criminal’s point of view or makes the audience align with or root for them EG You & Oceans 8

Question 11

Greer & Reiner - Desensitisation

Answer 11

Thye media is criminogenic because audiences are exposed ti repeated viewing of violence and criminal behaviour so no longer view it as abnormal or bad EG Squid Games, Breaking Bad

Question 12

McRobbie & Thornton

Answer 12

Moral panics are an outdated concept

• the frequency of moral panics has increased so much they are no longer noteworthy
• In the past moral panics were used to scapegoat a group and create folk devils (Wilkins) however, in contemporary society there are too many perspectives and viewpoints for this to occur and user generated content allows the targeted group to give their perspective
• some people use reflexivity and use moral panics to their advantage EG Part Gate - everyone was so distracted by the parties that they weren’t focusing on all the things the gov weren’t doing to attempt to combat impacts from the pandemic
• Because there is a lot more uncertainty and ambiguity about what is ‘bad’ in contemporary society moral panics are harder to start
• people are wary about starting moral panics as it could possibly rebound on them EG Being called a Karen on the internet when complaining about anything or John Major’s family values campaign

Question 13

Postman

Answer 13

Crime has become infotainment - a mixture of reality and fiction or reality inspiring fictional media products EG Dhamer

Question 14

Osbourne

Answer 14

Crime has become a spectacle - the line between fiction and reality has been blurred and the audience forgets that these crimes are real with real victims (especially the case with true crime documentaries such as Crime Scene: The Vanishing at The Cecil Hotel)

Question 15

Surette

Answer 15

Backward Law
Media constructs a picture which is the opposite of reality - they overreport crimes that are rare and under report crimes that are common

Linked to Galtung & Ruge - news Values - Extraordinariness

Question 16

Greer & Reiner supporting Surette’s ideology

Answer 16

The media paints a backwards image of reality:

1. Sex and drug related crime is over represented (the most common crime is property crime)
2. crime is represented as serious and violent (most crimes are low-level, non-dramatic, trivial and usually involves no loss or serious damage/injury)
3. Police effectiveness is overexaggerated (EG Death in Paradise - in reality the police are not always successful)
4. The media over exaggerates the risk of high status, white, older people, women and children when the reality is that mixed race groups are most likely to be victims
5. Media shows crime in isolation - we therefore don’t understand patterns or trends.