Media Representation of Crime: Overview

Media representation of crime shapes how we understand and fear criminal activity in society. Factual media includes documentaries, news reports, and social media posts that present real crimes, whilst fictional media encompasses TV dramas, films, and video games that create imaginary criminal scenarios.

The way crime is portrayed varies dramatically between different platforms. Television crime dramas like The Bill and Sherlock often feature high-value thefts accompanied by violence, typically committed by high-status, white middle-aged men. This creates a distorted picture of actual crime patterns.

Comedy shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine demonstrate how crime representation can be diverse - even serious crimes like murder can be treated as comedic material. This shows that fictional media doesn't always take crime seriously, potentially influencing public perceptions.

Key Point: Media representations of crime rarely reflect the reality of criminal activity, often focusing on dramatic, violent crimes rather than common offences like shoplifting.

Television Crime Representation

Television offers both serious and comedic representations of crime that influence public understanding. Factual crime programmes like Crimewatch, 999 What's Your Emergency, and Police Camera Action present real cases to audiences. Crimewatch peaked at 14 million viewers annually but dropped to 3 million by 2017, showing changing public interest.

American documentaries like 60 Minutes reveal serious flaws in the justice system. They expose how innocent people are imprisoned when the actual perpetrator isn't included in police line-ups. When this happens, the person who most resembles the offender often gets wrongly convicted.

These factual representations take crime seriously because they deal with real consequences for real people. The documentary format demands accuracy and treats criminal justice as a matter of public concern rather than entertainment.

Key Point: Factual TV crime shows have declining viewership, suggesting audiences may prefer fictional entertainment over real crime coverage.

Social Media and Digital Crime

Social media has revolutionised how police work, how the public reports crime, and how criminals operate. According to Lee and McGovern (2014), Neighbourhood Watch groups must now use social media platforms when reporting crimes to police, showing how digital communication has become essential.

The invention of social media has created entirely new categories of criminals. These include people who share racist, homophobic, sexist, Islamophobic, antisemitic, and transphobic material online. For example, James Allchurch was jailed for 2.5 years after denying 15 counts of distributing recordings that stirred up hatred.

Online crime posting has significantly influenced gang behaviour and recruitment. Social media platforms allow criminal activity to be broadcast, normalised, and even celebrated, creating new challenges for law enforcement.

Key Point: Social media hasn't just changed how we discuss crime - it's created entirely new types of criminal behaviour that didn't exist before digital platforms.

Newspaper Crime Coverage

British newspapers dedicate up to 30% of their news space to crime stories, but their coverage creates a distorted picture of criminal activity. They focus heavily on serious violent and sexual crimes, whilst most recorded crimes are actually minor offences like shoplifting.

Two-thirds of newspaper crime stories involve violence, and homicide features in one-third of crime reports. Journalists select stories based on "newsworthiness" - prioritising crimes motivated by sex, financial gain, jealousy, or revenge because these elements make stories more appealing to readers.

The difference between tabloids and broadsheets is significant. Tabloids are more attention-seeking and create emotive responses through dramatic headlines and large images. Broadsheets provide more informative, accurate coverage of actual crimes without sensationalising details.

Case studies like Sarah Everard show how tabloids focus equally on victim and criminal with large photos, whilst broadsheets prioritise factual information. This selective representation is profit-motivated - newspapers choose stories that will sell rather than accurately represent crime statistics.

Key Point: Readers of sensationalist newspapers develop higher fear of crime and victimisation, showing how media representation directly affects public perception.

Film and Gaming Representations

Crime films make up about one-fifth of all cinema releases, with up to half of all films containing significant crime content according to Allen et al (1997). These representations appeal to audiences' anti-social and deviant tendencies, sometimes making viewers empathise with villains and understand criminal motivations.

Films like Suicide Squad (which made $747 million) focus on well-known crimes like murder rather than smaller, less dramatic offences. This commercial approach prioritises entertainment value over realistic crime representation. Conversely, films like Zodiac present more realistic portrayals of serial killers without excessive dramatisation.

Video games often reward criminal behaviour - in Fortnite, players earn rewards for killing, with higher body counts bringing more glorification. Gaming represents crime as consequence-free entertainment, potentially normalising violence.

Key Point: Crime films typically centre around a criminal, victim, and avenger triangle, incorporating appealing elements that satisfy audiences' curiosity about deviant behaviour.

Assessment Requirements and Key Points

For your AC1.4 assessment, you need to cover all six media types within 36 minutes: newspapers (factual), music videos/album covers (fictional and factual), TV (fictional and factual), social media (factual), film (fictional and factual), and gaming (fictional).

Each media type requires a 4-5 sentence description of how it represents crime. You must include specific examples, headlines, TV shows, films, and statistics to support your analysis. Without detailed examples and evidence, you won't achieve Band 2 grades.

Remember that media representation of crime is neither accurate nor representative of actual criminal activity. Most media coverage is sensationalised to focus on interesting, dramatic crimes rather than typical criminal behaviour like minor theft or fraud.

Key Point: Your assessment success depends on providing detailed, specific examples for each media type - general statements won't earn top marks.