AC 1.4 Media Representation of Crime
Tabloid Newspaper - This type of media (The Sun, The Daily Mail) often over-represents violent crime
(e.g. murder, abduction), as if to entertain the reader more than to inform, with large headlines and
images, and limited text. These typically contain scandals, scaremongering and celebrity news, with 30%
of articles involving crime
Broadsheet Newspaper - This type of media (e.g The Times, The Guardian) writes articles to inform the
reader rather than to entertain, with smaller headlines and images, and large bodies of text. These
typically contain international news, finance and economy, with only 5% of articles involving crime
Television - This type of media includes both non-fiction documentaries and fiction dramas. Non-fiction,
although more accurate, tends to dramatise what it televises (e.g. Police Interceptors showing the
'interesting' part of police activity). Fiction often dramatises police procedures and the nature of crime,
or glorifies the "high-life" of crime (e.g. Peaky Blinders, Breaking Bad)
Film - This type of media frequently glamorises crime and violence, for example gang or mafia crime, or
police/court proceedings (e.g. The Godfather, Pulp Fiction), with 20% of all cinema movies being crime
movies. As well as this, there have been 'copycat' cases based on movies (see Jamie Buldger Killing and
'Slender-Man' Stabbing)
Music - Music increasingly features description of violence and glamorisation of crime, such as drug use
and street crime. The police believe that there is a link between violent 'drill' music and crime (see
Jermaine Goupall killing)
Electronic Gaming - Games are becoming increasingly violent, which some people argue are a cause of
violence, although a long-term 2020 study proved no such correlation (see Thai man copying GTA taxi
theft and DOOM as a 'push factor' of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold)
Social Media - Social media has created new ways of reporting information to the police and raising
awareness to the public, but is also an easily accessible source of false information, and gives rise to
cyber crimes like revenge porn, as well as encouraging victim blaming (see Kim Kardashian theft - people
said she "got what she deserved"
Tabloid Newspaper - This type of media (The Sun, The Daily Mail) often over-represents violent crime
(e.g. murder, abduction), as if to entertain the reader more than to inform, with large headlines and
images, and limited text. These typically contain scandals, scaremongering and celebrity news, with 30%
of articles involving crime
Broadsheet Newspaper - This type of media (e.g The Times, The Guardian) writes articles to inform the
reader rather than to entertain, with smaller headlines and images, and large bodies of text. These
typically contain international news, finance and economy, with only 5% of articles involving crime
Television - This type of media includes both non-fiction documentaries and fiction dramas. Non-fiction,
although more accurate, tends to dramatise what it televises (e.g. Police Interceptors showing the
'interesting' part of police activity). Fiction often dramatises police procedures and the nature of crime,
or glorifies the "high-life" of crime (e.g. Peaky Blinders, Breaking Bad)
Film - This type of media frequently glamorises crime and violence, for example gang or mafia crime, or
police/court proceedings (e.g. The Godfather, Pulp Fiction), with 20% of all cinema movies being crime
movies. As well as this, there have been 'copycat' cases based on movies (see Jamie Buldger Killing and
'Slender-Man' Stabbing)
Music - Music increasingly features description of violence and glamorisation of crime, such as drug use
and street crime. The police believe that there is a link between violent 'drill' music and crime (see
Jermaine Goupall killing)
Electronic Gaming - Games are becoming increasingly violent, which some people argue are a cause of
violence, although a long-term 2020 study proved no such correlation (see Thai man copying GTA taxi
theft and DOOM as a 'push factor' of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold)
Social Media - Social media has created new ways of reporting information to the police and raising
awareness to the public, but is also an easily accessible source of false information, and gives rise to
cyber crimes like revenge porn, as well as encouraging victim blaming (see Kim Kardashian theft - people
said she "got what she deserved"
