Sociology 30 marker plan –
‘Much media output is devoted to crime, but the media offer a distorted portrayal of crime
and criminals. The media are also often seen as causing crime, for example by creating a
sense of relative deprivation or causing moral panics. The new media also provide
opportunities both for committing crime and policing it’
Applying material from item B, evaluate sociological contributions to our understanding of
the relationship between crime and the media:
Media as a cause of crime –
The hypodermic-syringe model – as proposed by Newsome, being that the media acts like a
drug being injected into the audience’s arm
- This being as impressionable audiences may be negatively influenced, with the media
acting as a source of secondary socialisation
- Thought to cause for the occurrence of copycat crimes, as seen within the case of
Jamie Bulgar -> recreating ‘child’s play 3’ = young impressionable audience imitating
acts seen within the media
Evaluation:
* fails to recognise that audiences differ in terms of age/social class/intelligence/level of
intelligence
- Not everyone acts the same way to media content
Richard Sparks – this theory ignores the meanings that viewers give to media violence
David Buckingham – children use the media in literate ways, being that they interpret it
in a responsible manner
Distorted portrayal of crime –
- The backwards law coupled with gatekeeping and agenda-setting means that the
media socially construct a distorted view of crime
- Exaggerates the risk of becoming a victim of crime
- Unnecessarily increasing the publics fear of crime
Evaluation:
Postmodern view, Baudrillard – suggests that the media do not reflect reality but create it
- Being as most people’s knowledge of crime is through the media created through
images
- Little connection with the real world
Marxist view – media reports are shaped by ruling class ideology
- Gives the impression that the working-class crime is costlier to society than WCC
Felson – argues that the media reporting reinforces certain fallacies or falsehoods about
crime
Relative deprivation – being the theory that working class individuals commit crime for
purpose of obtaining the materialistic goods they see advertised in the media, but due to
blocked opportunities, lack the legitimate means to lawfully obtain
Evaluation:
Left realists – Media representations serve to highlight and reinforce the sense of relative
deprivation and social exclusion
‘Much media output is devoted to crime, but the media offer a distorted portrayal of crime
and criminals. The media are also often seen as causing crime, for example by creating a
sense of relative deprivation or causing moral panics. The new media also provide
opportunities both for committing crime and policing it’
Applying material from item B, evaluate sociological contributions to our understanding of
the relationship between crime and the media:
Media as a cause of crime –
The hypodermic-syringe model – as proposed by Newsome, being that the media acts like a
drug being injected into the audience’s arm
- This being as impressionable audiences may be negatively influenced, with the media
acting as a source of secondary socialisation
- Thought to cause for the occurrence of copycat crimes, as seen within the case of
Jamie Bulgar -> recreating ‘child’s play 3’ = young impressionable audience imitating
acts seen within the media
Evaluation:
* fails to recognise that audiences differ in terms of age/social class/intelligence/level of
intelligence
- Not everyone acts the same way to media content
Richard Sparks – this theory ignores the meanings that viewers give to media violence
David Buckingham – children use the media in literate ways, being that they interpret it
in a responsible manner
Distorted portrayal of crime –
- The backwards law coupled with gatekeeping and agenda-setting means that the
media socially construct a distorted view of crime
- Exaggerates the risk of becoming a victim of crime
- Unnecessarily increasing the publics fear of crime
Evaluation:
Postmodern view, Baudrillard – suggests that the media do not reflect reality but create it
- Being as most people’s knowledge of crime is through the media created through
images
- Little connection with the real world
Marxist view – media reports are shaped by ruling class ideology
- Gives the impression that the working-class crime is costlier to society than WCC
Felson – argues that the media reporting reinforces certain fallacies or falsehoods about
crime
Relative deprivation – being the theory that working class individuals commit crime for
purpose of obtaining the materialistic goods they see advertised in the media, but due to
blocked opportunities, lack the legitimate means to lawfully obtain
Evaluation:
Left realists – Media representations serve to highlight and reinforce the sense of relative
deprivation and social exclusion
