AC 1.5 Impact of media representation Unit 1 Changing awareness of crime
Impact of media representation of crime
Moral panic
Changing public concerns and attitudes
Perception of crime trends
Stereotyping of criminals
Levels of response to crime and types of punishment
Changing priorities and emphasis
Moral Panic
Used to describe the consequence of media presentation of something that
has happened where the general public react in a panicky manner.
Research shows that the media exaggerate levels of serious crime and the risk
of becoming a victim, which is known as moral panic. This has been found true
for studies of newspapers, television and radio content.
The sociologist Stanley Cohen, in his book Folk Devils and Moral Panics (1973),
suggested that a moral panic occurs when a ‘condition, episode, person or
group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and
interests.
One of the first moral panics occurred in the 1960s, with the media’s portrayal
of the clashes between Mods and Rockers. The media portrayed the event in a
sensationalized way, with lawless gangs fighting. One headline read ‘Wild Ones
Invade Seaside – 97 Arrests’ In fact there were only 24 arrests.
Other examples of moral panic rang from the risk of contracting HIV in the
1980s to the modern moral panic surrounding the reporting of terrorism and
the subsequent result of Islamophobia.
The impact of a moral panic is to make the public think the issue is worse than
it is in reality. This may bring a more severe reaction to the issue and people
involved, and an unreasonable desire for justice. For instance, the increase in
punishments for crimes that occurred in the London riots of 2011.
Changing public concerns and attitudes
Over time, the public have been concerned about different types of crime. As
seen in the previous section, at one stage the public were concerned about
violence from the rivalry between Mods and Rockers. However, recently the
threat of terrorism has caused a high level of concern to the public. This was
fuelled by attacks such as those in London, Manchester and Barcelona in 2017.
In addition, the media have reported a rise in knife-attack crimes, and this
causes alarm among the public.
Impact of media representation of crime
Moral panic
Changing public concerns and attitudes
Perception of crime trends
Stereotyping of criminals
Levels of response to crime and types of punishment
Changing priorities and emphasis
Moral Panic
Used to describe the consequence of media presentation of something that
has happened where the general public react in a panicky manner.
Research shows that the media exaggerate levels of serious crime and the risk
of becoming a victim, which is known as moral panic. This has been found true
for studies of newspapers, television and radio content.
The sociologist Stanley Cohen, in his book Folk Devils and Moral Panics (1973),
suggested that a moral panic occurs when a ‘condition, episode, person or
group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and
interests.
One of the first moral panics occurred in the 1960s, with the media’s portrayal
of the clashes between Mods and Rockers. The media portrayed the event in a
sensationalized way, with lawless gangs fighting. One headline read ‘Wild Ones
Invade Seaside – 97 Arrests’ In fact there were only 24 arrests.
Other examples of moral panic rang from the risk of contracting HIV in the
1980s to the modern moral panic surrounding the reporting of terrorism and
the subsequent result of Islamophobia.
The impact of a moral panic is to make the public think the issue is worse than
it is in reality. This may bring a more severe reaction to the issue and people
involved, and an unreasonable desire for justice. For instance, the increase in
punishments for crimes that occurred in the London riots of 2011.
Changing public concerns and attitudes
Over time, the public have been concerned about different types of crime. As
seen in the previous section, at one stage the public were concerned about
violence from the rivalry between Mods and Rockers. However, recently the
threat of terrorism has caused a high level of concern to the public. This was
fuelled by attacks such as those in London, Manchester and Barcelona in 2017.
In addition, the media have reported a rise in knife-attack crimes, and this
causes alarm among the public.
