A.C 1.5 - Explain the impact of media representations on the public perception of
crime
Structure : Explain, Link to Media, Example
Moral panic
Moral panics are exaggerated, irrational over-reaction by a society due to a perceived
problem. It begins with the media identifying a group as a ‘folk-devil’, people that threaten
society’s values. Sensationalist reporting by the media amplifies the problem’s real
seriousness. Public become outraged and call for a “crackdown”, which is disciplinary action
enforced by police. People believe the police aren’t doing anything to stop the issue as the
media continue reporting on it. An example of this is in the 1980s, news headlines
sensationalised the HIV and AIDS report to deem LGBTQ+ community as the reason for the
disease, naming them as folk-devils. One exmaple of a headline was “Britain threatened by
gay virus plague”.
Changing public concern and attitudes
Heavy media representation led to more general fear and anxiety by the public that people,
especially youths were out of control and a threat to society. Media reporting heavily
influences people’s opinions on a group,which then only elevates the problem. An example
of this is newspapers reporting on Muslims and Islam, linking it to terrorism and extremists.
An analysis of 143 million words in British newspapers by Paul Baker et al shows negative
portrayal of Islam and Muslim. The media then created a stigma of fear, criticism and anger
towards the Muslim community. Paul found that newspapers used mugshots of Muslims for
photographs, to make them seem more criminal in public perception. In actuality, stories
about attacks on Muslim havily decreased in media, for example, “New Zealand Mosque
Attacks”, where the man was a “white gunman” and not labelled a terrorist.
Perceptions of crime trends
Perception of crime trends is what the public thinks about the number of crimes increasing or
decreasing. This is influenced by the media as more crime is reported, the more it seems to
occur. 72% of people believed crime had increased on a national level and 42% believed
crime increased locally, while the Survey interviewing the people, found there to actually be
a 7% decrease. Media reporting leads people to fear being a victim of crime due to their
over-exaggeration of violent crimes. People also are influenced by the media on who is likely
to be a victim of a crime. Most people believe women and elderly people and children are
more likely to be victims however, statistically young males between 16-24 are at most risk
of violent crimes. Parents who believe their child is at risk will become fearful of letting their
child out. According to Schlesinger and Tumber, people who read tabloids and are largely
crime
Structure : Explain, Link to Media, Example
Moral panic
Moral panics are exaggerated, irrational over-reaction by a society due to a perceived
problem. It begins with the media identifying a group as a ‘folk-devil’, people that threaten
society’s values. Sensationalist reporting by the media amplifies the problem’s real
seriousness. Public become outraged and call for a “crackdown”, which is disciplinary action
enforced by police. People believe the police aren’t doing anything to stop the issue as the
media continue reporting on it. An example of this is in the 1980s, news headlines
sensationalised the HIV and AIDS report to deem LGBTQ+ community as the reason for the
disease, naming them as folk-devils. One exmaple of a headline was “Britain threatened by
gay virus plague”.
Changing public concern and attitudes
Heavy media representation led to more general fear and anxiety by the public that people,
especially youths were out of control and a threat to society. Media reporting heavily
influences people’s opinions on a group,which then only elevates the problem. An example
of this is newspapers reporting on Muslims and Islam, linking it to terrorism and extremists.
An analysis of 143 million words in British newspapers by Paul Baker et al shows negative
portrayal of Islam and Muslim. The media then created a stigma of fear, criticism and anger
towards the Muslim community. Paul found that newspapers used mugshots of Muslims for
photographs, to make them seem more criminal in public perception. In actuality, stories
about attacks on Muslim havily decreased in media, for example, “New Zealand Mosque
Attacks”, where the man was a “white gunman” and not labelled a terrorist.
Perceptions of crime trends
Perception of crime trends is what the public thinks about the number of crimes increasing or
decreasing. This is influenced by the media as more crime is reported, the more it seems to
occur. 72% of people believed crime had increased on a national level and 42% believed
crime increased locally, while the Survey interviewing the people, found there to actually be
a 7% decrease. Media reporting leads people to fear being a victim of crime due to their
over-exaggeration of violent crimes. People also are influenced by the media on who is likely
to be a victim of a crime. Most people believe women and elderly people and children are
more likely to be victims however, statistically young males between 16-24 are at most risk
of violent crimes. Parents who believe their child is at risk will become fearful of letting their
child out. According to Schlesinger and Tumber, people who read tabloids and are largely
