Inaccurate Information About Crime In The Media

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The media is the publics most influential and primary source of information on crime and criminal activities in the community. Therefore, the way crime is reported can alter society’s view of it altogether. However, the media often presents inaccurate information about frequently occurring crimes based on what is deemed as ‘newsworthy’ (Hayes & Prenzler, 2014, pg. 8). This is where crime is reported selectively and consists of certain ‘news values’. An example of these ‘news values’ include the proximity, timeliness and impact of the crimes. This partly explains why crime stories are so popular in the media, as most contain the majority of the aforementioned ‘news values’. However, this can be problematic as the types of crime that are more …show more content…

However, while crime statistics are the only way to measure crime, it remains unreliable due to the ‘dark figure of crime’ (Hayes & Prenzler, 2014, pg. 40). This refers to the amount of crime occurring in the community which remains undetected or is not reported. The use of victimisation surveys determines which types of crime are most likely to be reported, and why certain crimes are not being reported. For example, thefts of motor vehicles are one of the highest reported crimes due to insurance purposes, whereas assault victims are less likely to report crimes against them for various reasons, such as knowing the offender, believing the crime was not serious enough, or fearing reprisal from the offender (Hayes & Prenzler, 2014, pg. …show more content…

In 2012, police reports showed that property crime consisted of the larger percentage of crimes at approximately 80%, whereas violent crime only made up 20%, and murder only accounted for 0.05% of crimes (Hayes & Prenzler, 2014, pg. 67). Other less harmful crimes such as theft were also accounted for at 51.58%. One explanation for the over reporting on violent crime is that media programs reflect what is important to audiences. Violent crime is a more serious concern for most community residents than property or white-collar crime. This then leads into the concept of media for profit. The media in Australia has a highly concentrated ownership, with only two corporations (News Corp and Fairfax) owning 11 of the 12 city newspapers, and the television and radio media is similarly controlled by a small number of corporations. The concentrated ownership of the media increases the need for profitability, in particular, for larger corporations likely to be in debt (Hayes & Prenzler, 2014, pg. 7). This, in turn, leads to an increased dependence on attracting larger audiences through a decrease in programming such as critical journalism, and an increase in sensationalised news stories. Studies have shown that actual increases or decreases in crime rates have little effect on the amount of crime being

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