News Values and Media as a Source of Crime

This page explores the concept of news values and how media can be viewed as a source of crime information and potentially criminal behavior.

News Values in Crime Reporting

News values and crime reporting effects play a crucial role in determining which crime stories are reported and how they are presented:

• News values include immediacy, violence, dramatization, personalization, status, simplification, novelty, and risk
• These values influence the selection and framing of crime stories, potentially skewing public perception of crime

Definition: News values are the criteria used by journalists and editors to determine which stories are newsworthy and how they should be presented to the public.

Media as a Source of Crime Information

The media serves as a primary source of crime information for many people:

• The hypodermic syringe model suggests that media can directly influence audiences' attitudes and behaviors
• Hayward and Young's concept of "Mediascape" explores how crime is commodified and used to sell products

Highlight: The idea of media as a direct influencer of behavior has been challenged by more recent theories that view audiences as active participants in media consumption.

Media's Potential to Cause Crime

Some theories suggest that media exposure can lead to criminal behavior through various mechanisms:

• Imitation of criminal acts seen in media
• Arousal and desensitization to violence
• Providing a "school of crime" by showcasing criminal techniques
• Targeting vulnerable individuals
• Creating a sense of deprivation
• Glamorizing criminal lifestyles

Example: The concept of media as a "school of crime" suggests that detailed portrayals of criminal activities might provide viewers with information on how to commit crimes.

Evaluation of Media's Impact on Crime

While media influence on crime is widely discussed, it's important to consider:

• Not everyone who consumes media commits crimes
• Some argue that media might lead to sensitization rather than desensitization
• Modern audiences are more active consumers of media, as suggested by the uses and gratifications model

Media and Fear of Crime

Media can contribute to the fear of crime in society:

• Overrepresentation of certain types of crime can increase public anxiety
• The concept of moral panics, introduced by Stan Cohen, explains how media can create widespread concern about specific issues

Vocabulary: A moral panic is a widespread fear, often an irrational one, that someone or something is a threat to society's values and interests.

Example: Examples of moral panics include concerns about "black muggings" in the 1970s, HIV/AIDS in the 1980s, and current fears about knife crime.