Media representations of crime

Question 1

What did Ericson report?

Answer 1

Crime and deviance make up a huge proportion of news coverage with between 45-71% of all press and radio news was in relation to it

Question 2

Evidence to support the view that the media overrepresent violent and sexual crime?

Answer 2

Ditton & Duffy found that 46% of the media reports were about violent or sexual crimes, yet these made up only 3% of all crimes recorded by the police

Question 3

Felson - ‘age fallacy’

Answer 3

The media portray criminals and victims as older and more middle class than those found in the criminal justice system

Question 4

Why does media coverage exaggerate police success in clearing up cases?

Answer 4

The police are a major source of crime stories and want to present themselves in a good light

Question 5

Which groups do the media exaggerate the risk of victimisation to?

Answer 5

Women, white people, higher status people, children

Question 6

Felson - ‘dramatic fallacy’

Answer 6

The media overplay extraordinary crimes and underplay ordinary crimes