1.4 Outline and explain all the ways in which media represent crime
One way the media represents crime is through Newspapers. There are three
forms of newspapers: Popular press, daily papers and local & regional newspapers. All
major newspapers have an online version that the public can easily access. Crime is a
very popular topic in the press, especially violent or sexual crimes. For example,
stabbing, shooting and terrorist attacks. Studies found that ⅔ of crime stories in the news
were stories of violent crimes. Newspapers are known for ignoring the causes of events.
This means they focus on individual incidents, rather than what caused these incidents
to occur. This can be reflected in the 2011 Riots, where all major newspapers focused on
the looting, rather than the death of Mark Duggan by metropolitan police. Furthermore,
newspapers exaggerate the success of the police. Whether this means only releasing
stories on cases which are prosecuted or through infotainment, which is a mixture of
fiction and information. The idea of newspapers over-reporting on certain types of
crime can be furthered by the concept of News Values. Criminologist Surette believes
this to be ‘the law of opposites’, where newspapers are more likely to publish stories if
they fit into their news values. An example of this can be novelty or unexpectedness -
where a story has a new shocking development. Another example of this can be high
status persons - where the story involves celebrities or people the public perceive to have
a high-status or authority. A real life example of this could be when The Guardian
reported on President Donald Trump committed tax evasion. This crime story probably
was only published as it included the President of USA - an individual of a high status.
Another way the media represents crime is through Television. Television
broadcasts both fictional and factual representations of crime. An example of a factual
representation will be crime news, like the BBC. Crime news tends to focus on violent
crimes which could lead to a misrepresentation of which crimes occur more frequently.
An example of fictional representation could be dramas, such as Law and Order or
Criminal Minds. These dramas are usually focused on high-profile crime (murder, sexual
assault or abductions) rather than petty crime, like theft. Statistics show that ¼ of all TV
output is devoted to crime drama. Furthermore, crime dramas suggest the typical
offender is an older middle class/ upper class male. Whereas, reality shows focus on
young offenders.
Thirdly, another way the media represents crime is through Film. Film is a very
popular source of entertainment and a wide group of people may get their view of crime
from what they watch in the movies. Film tends to focus on high-profile crime, like White
collar crime, murder or drugs. However, it is suggested that the violence in film has an
influence over us, possibly making us more susceptible to violence. For example, a young
boy called Jamie Bulger was killed in 1993 by two young boys. These boys' actions were
suggested to be due to them watching Child’s Play 3, a graphic and violent horror movie.
Another way the media represents crime is through music. Many genres and
songs have been dedicated to crime and criminals. The idea of vengeful lovers, drug
dealers and murderers are often referred to in many major songs. Professionals argue
that certain music may be contributing to crime rates. This is reflected when a Court
One way the media represents crime is through Newspapers. There are three
forms of newspapers: Popular press, daily papers and local & regional newspapers. All
major newspapers have an online version that the public can easily access. Crime is a
very popular topic in the press, especially violent or sexual crimes. For example,
stabbing, shooting and terrorist attacks. Studies found that ⅔ of crime stories in the news
were stories of violent crimes. Newspapers are known for ignoring the causes of events.
This means they focus on individual incidents, rather than what caused these incidents
to occur. This can be reflected in the 2011 Riots, where all major newspapers focused on
the looting, rather than the death of Mark Duggan by metropolitan police. Furthermore,
newspapers exaggerate the success of the police. Whether this means only releasing
stories on cases which are prosecuted or through infotainment, which is a mixture of
fiction and information. The idea of newspapers over-reporting on certain types of
crime can be furthered by the concept of News Values. Criminologist Surette believes
this to be ‘the law of opposites’, where newspapers are more likely to publish stories if
they fit into their news values. An example of this can be novelty or unexpectedness -
where a story has a new shocking development. Another example of this can be high
status persons - where the story involves celebrities or people the public perceive to have
a high-status or authority. A real life example of this could be when The Guardian
reported on President Donald Trump committed tax evasion. This crime story probably
was only published as it included the President of USA - an individual of a high status.
Another way the media represents crime is through Television. Television
broadcasts both fictional and factual representations of crime. An example of a factual
representation will be crime news, like the BBC. Crime news tends to focus on violent
crimes which could lead to a misrepresentation of which crimes occur more frequently.
An example of fictional representation could be dramas, such as Law and Order or
Criminal Minds. These dramas are usually focused on high-profile crime (murder, sexual
assault or abductions) rather than petty crime, like theft. Statistics show that ¼ of all TV
output is devoted to crime drama. Furthermore, crime dramas suggest the typical
offender is an older middle class/ upper class male. Whereas, reality shows focus on
young offenders.
Thirdly, another way the media represents crime is through Film. Film is a very
popular source of entertainment and a wide group of people may get their view of crime
from what they watch in the movies. Film tends to focus on high-profile crime, like White
collar crime, murder or drugs. However, it is suggested that the violence in film has an
influence over us, possibly making us more susceptible to violence. For example, a young
boy called Jamie Bulger was killed in 1993 by two young boys. These boys' actions were
suggested to be due to them watching Child’s Play 3, a graphic and violent horror movie.
Another way the media represents crime is through music. Many genres and
songs have been dedicated to crime and criminals. The idea of vengeful lovers, drug
dealers and murderers are often referred to in many major songs. Professionals argue
that certain music may be contributing to crime rates. This is reflected when a Court
