Newspapers' Portrayal of Crime
Newspapers play a significant role in shaping public perception of crime. They primarily focus on serious offenses such as stabbings, shootings, and terrorist attacks, often using sensationalist language to capture readers' attention.
Example: In August 2017, newspapers referred to terrorist attacks in Barcelona as 'Barcelona Bastards' on their front pages.
Newspapers frequently employ dramatic words like 'massacre', 'bloodbath', 'evil', and 'terror' to describe criminal incidents. This approach is partly driven by the need to sell papers and attract readers.
Vocabulary:
- Tabloid: A type of popular newspaper with small pages, many pictures, and short stories (e.g., The Sun)
- Broadsheet: A more serious newspaper traditionally printed on large sheets of paper, now often on smaller sheets, with fewer pictures and more in-depth stories (e.g., The Times)
- Scaremonger: To spread stories that can cause public fear
The media representation of crime examples in newspapers can be seen in recent high-profile cases. For instance, in the Lucy Letby case, The Mirror used the phrase "One final act of wickedness," while The Sun described her as "Poison nurse killed 7 babies."
Highlight: From September 2020 to June 2022, 49.1 million adults in the UK read newspapers during the last twelve months.
Newspapers have both strengths and limitations in their crime reporting:
Strengths:
- Alert and inform the public about major stories
- Highly popular and widely read
Limitations:
- Tend to exaggerate events, making them appear worse than they are
- Focus primarily on larger crimes for financial reasons, often neglecting smaller offenses
- Concentrate on specific incidents rather than overall causes of crime
It's worth noting that newspapers have political leanings that can influence their reporting:
- Right-wing newspapers: The Sun, Daily Mail, Daily Express Conservative−leaning
- Left-wing newspapers: Morning Star Labour/LiberalDemocrats−leaning