Topic 4c: The role of the mass media in the social construction of crime

Question 1

Intro

Answer 1

Sociologists are keen to theorise the causes of social reactions and many attribute a close connection between the extent and nature of media coverage of particular criminal or deviant acts and the social reaction to them. They argue that most people’s perceptions of crime are actually created, or at least informed by, the media

Question 2

Conclusion

Answer 2

Pilkington - reporting crime - The official criminal statistics for some juvenile crimes may simply reflect public intolerance fuelled by journalists’ construction of moral panics in search of newsworthy stories. This leads to more reporting and more artificial arrests, laws and more deviance