AC 1.4- media and crime
Newspapers
One of the oldest ways of accessing news was newspapers- both tabloid and
broadsheet, which are accessible for all audiences, whether they wanted
more visual, image-based news or factual, text-based news. Crime is a topic
with global interest, with crime accounting for up to 35% of the news
although much of the reporting can be negative and dramatised for
entertainment purposes. Tabloids are more visually appealing and popular
and include the ‘Red Tops,’ for example, The Sun. The crimes that capture
the reader tend to be sensational crimes, like violence and sexual motives
and so are more commonly portrayed in tabloids. These types of crimes
evoke fear amongst the public and encourage them to buy more to keep up
to date and be more aware of the crimes. The accuracy of the representation
of crimes in tabloids is more inaccurate, as even though they include facts, it
is often dramatised and gives the reader a desensitised view because the
importance of the violence portrayed isn’t recognised. On the other hand,
broadsheets are more politically focused, factual newspapers and include
companies like The Times. The crimes often portrayed are white-collar
crimes, as the readers tend to be interested in political information. Although
broadsheets tend to be more factual, they can give a biased opinion which
sways the readers’ views to match the newspaper’s view. Contrasted to
tabloids, broadsheets are more accurate in terms of information due to them
being highly factual and focus on informing the reader rather than
entertaining them despite them being politically biased. An example of a
headline where both newspapers portrayed it differently is the 2024
Microsoft System Crash. The tabloids portrayed it with lots of images and
bold headlines, but the broadsheets showed the informational and statistical
side of it.
Television
Television has become increasingly popular as technology evolved, making it
an appealing form of entertainment. 20-30% of TV shows are concerned with
crime and law enforcement, showing footage of crime scenes, criminals and
graphic reconstructions to attract viewers. One of the types of television is
factual, where it shows both local and national crime news, and reality shows
which are based on real crimes. Crimes that are commonly portrayed in
factual television are violent crimes, as they arise more public attention and
attract more viewers. This can include showing the victims and offenders of
the crime, and the realistic content can increase the understanding of the
violent crime. Factual television can have a high accuracy of representation
due to real footage, like police body-cameras. On the other hand, fictional
television is created to be more appealing to an audience and attract their
interest. An example includes Breaking Bad, which portrays violent crimes
like murder, along with white collar crimes like money laundering. The
perceptions of these crimes can be desensitised due to the glamourisation of
Newspapers
One of the oldest ways of accessing news was newspapers- both tabloid and
broadsheet, which are accessible for all audiences, whether they wanted
more visual, image-based news or factual, text-based news. Crime is a topic
with global interest, with crime accounting for up to 35% of the news
although much of the reporting can be negative and dramatised for
entertainment purposes. Tabloids are more visually appealing and popular
and include the ‘Red Tops,’ for example, The Sun. The crimes that capture
the reader tend to be sensational crimes, like violence and sexual motives
and so are more commonly portrayed in tabloids. These types of crimes
evoke fear amongst the public and encourage them to buy more to keep up
to date and be more aware of the crimes. The accuracy of the representation
of crimes in tabloids is more inaccurate, as even though they include facts, it
is often dramatised and gives the reader a desensitised view because the
importance of the violence portrayed isn’t recognised. On the other hand,
broadsheets are more politically focused, factual newspapers and include
companies like The Times. The crimes often portrayed are white-collar
crimes, as the readers tend to be interested in political information. Although
broadsheets tend to be more factual, they can give a biased opinion which
sways the readers’ views to match the newspaper’s view. Contrasted to
tabloids, broadsheets are more accurate in terms of information due to them
being highly factual and focus on informing the reader rather than
entertaining them despite them being politically biased. An example of a
headline where both newspapers portrayed it differently is the 2024
Microsoft System Crash. The tabloids portrayed it with lots of images and
bold headlines, but the broadsheets showed the informational and statistical
side of it.
Television
Television has become increasingly popular as technology evolved, making it
an appealing form of entertainment. 20-30% of TV shows are concerned with
crime and law enforcement, showing footage of crime scenes, criminals and
graphic reconstructions to attract viewers. One of the types of television is
factual, where it shows both local and national crime news, and reality shows
which are based on real crimes. Crimes that are commonly portrayed in
factual television are violent crimes, as they arise more public attention and
attract more viewers. This can include showing the victims and offenders of
the crime, and the realistic content can increase the understanding of the
violent crime. Factual television can have a high accuracy of representation
due to real footage, like police body-cameras. On the other hand, fictional
television is created to be more appealing to an audience and attract their
interest. An example includes Breaking Bad, which portrays violent crimes
like murder, along with white collar crimes like money laundering. The
perceptions of these crimes can be desensitised due to the glamourisation of
