AC 1.4 Media representation of crime Unit 1 Changing awareness of crime
Newspapers
A vast amount of newspaper space is devoted to crime stories such as
stabbings, shootings, murder and terrorist attacks. When a major incident
occurs, the front pages of all newspapers and many sections inside contain the
latest pictures and reports from the event. Newspapers sensationalize and
over-exaggerate the event to sell more papers. This creates moral panic and
scaremonger.
The August 2017 terrorist attacks in Barcelona were reported on the pages of
all British newspapers, with dramatic headlines using words such as ‘massacre’,
‘bloodbath’, ‘evil’, ‘terror’, ‘Barcelona Bastards’ and ‘slaughtered on the
streets’. Both broadsheet and tabloid newspapers reported this in a similar
style.
Tabloid – A type of popular newspaper with small pages, many pictures and
short stories.
Scaremonger – Spread stories that cause the public fear.
Moral panic – Used to describe the consequence of media presentation of
something that has happened where the general public react in a panicky
manner. The reporting is usually exaggerated and consequently the public
reaction is inflated.
Film
Films have a huge impact of the way people see crimes and the facts and
fictions surrounding them. Films such as: Suicide squad, Die Hard, Human
Centipede and The Wolf of Wall Street are all films that have a main focus on
crime and corruption.
Television
Television plays a major role in the portrayal of the media; it portrays both
fictional and factual representations of crime. Crime watch and Police Camera
Actions are examples of factual programmes. There have been many dramas
based on high-profile crimes such as Little Boy Blue based on the murder of
Rhys Jones in 2007, and The Moorside, based on the kidnap of Shannon
Matthews in 2008. There are also many fictional crime shows on television
such as The Bill, Law and Order, Sherlock and Midsomer Murders. According
Newspapers
A vast amount of newspaper space is devoted to crime stories such as
stabbings, shootings, murder and terrorist attacks. When a major incident
occurs, the front pages of all newspapers and many sections inside contain the
latest pictures and reports from the event. Newspapers sensationalize and
over-exaggerate the event to sell more papers. This creates moral panic and
scaremonger.
The August 2017 terrorist attacks in Barcelona were reported on the pages of
all British newspapers, with dramatic headlines using words such as ‘massacre’,
‘bloodbath’, ‘evil’, ‘terror’, ‘Barcelona Bastards’ and ‘slaughtered on the
streets’. Both broadsheet and tabloid newspapers reported this in a similar
style.
Tabloid – A type of popular newspaper with small pages, many pictures and
short stories.
Scaremonger – Spread stories that cause the public fear.
Moral panic – Used to describe the consequence of media presentation of
something that has happened where the general public react in a panicky
manner. The reporting is usually exaggerated and consequently the public
reaction is inflated.
Film
Films have a huge impact of the way people see crimes and the facts and
fictions surrounding them. Films such as: Suicide squad, Die Hard, Human
Centipede and The Wolf of Wall Street are all films that have a main focus on
crime and corruption.
Television
Television plays a major role in the portrayal of the media; it portrays both
fictional and factual representations of crime. Crime watch and Police Camera
Actions are examples of factual programmes. There have been many dramas
based on high-profile crimes such as Little Boy Blue based on the murder of
Rhys Jones in 2007, and The Moorside, based on the kidnap of Shannon
Matthews in 2008. There are also many fictional crime shows on television
such as The Bill, Law and Order, Sherlock and Midsomer Murders. According
