Media is both useful for understanding homicide, and has the potential to make people think about it incorrectly. Media can be used to expose people to more ideas about homicide that they themselves might not have thought of while only being exposed to their own demographics.
However, the media can also have a negative impact on people’s view of homicide, as it can also spread false information and cause people to think that violent crime is more represented than it really is. As Soulliere (2003:14) states, “Comparisons reveal that the media tend to depict the crimes that occur the least in American society (violent crimes), while neglecting the crimes that occur the most (property crimes)”.
Let us start with a discussion of media’s positive role with the portrayal of homicide. Since many factors of homicide are subjective, despite having numerous laws to help define what a homicide is (Criminal Code), people have varying opinions on what is defined as homicide.
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For example, during the “You be the Judge” activity during week two, we discussed our opinions on deaths that may or may not be considered homicide. Some of these opinions I agreed with, and some of them I did not (Fig x)(Kyleen Ferris, Week 2). However, I could understand why this person thought the way they did, and, like media, their post exposed me to differing opinions.
I believe that the negative impact media can have on the public’s perception of homicide to be worse than the positive, though. For one, media has a habit of cherry-picking information as to better support their narrative (Fig x)(Kyleen Ferris, Week 3). I can understand why this is done, as it does not make sense to have conflicting points in an article. However, I believe this can lead to people who do not check sources themselves to have a warped opinion on
The media has long been tagged as a catalyst that influences the way people act in their daily lives. In the article “Unnatural Killers”, author John Grisham criticizes the movie “Natural Born Killers” as the only influence upon which two youths commit murder. The various types of environments shown on media most certainly influence the thoughts people make towards certain situations. However, the ultimate decision of the actions taken is up to the individual; everyone is responsible for their own actions. Therefore, the defendants in the article should be declared guilty of the crimes done.
In reference to the media’s role, they have been highlighted for playing a part in maintaining these views by portraying victims in a certain way according to the newsworthiness of each story and their selectiveness (Greer, 2007). Furthermore, there has been an increase in both fictional crime programmes and crime documentaries, with Crimewatch particularly becoming a regular part of British viewing. In the modern context, crime has continued to represent a large proportion of news reporting and with the aid of social networking sites and self-publicity via the internet, journalists are now more able to dig even deeper into the lives of people on whom they wish to report. Newspapers continue to keep the public informed with the latest headlines and the internet has also provided opportunities for members of the public to have their input in blogs.
Phillips, D. (1983). The Impact of Mass Media Violence on U.S. Homicides. American Sociological Review, Vol. 48. Published by: American Sociological Association. Retrieved March 1, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2117722
Today's media mainly focuses on violent stories that capture the viewer's attention. So how are we, as viewers, affected by these stories? In her article, "The Violence Reporting Project: A New Approach to Covering Crime", Jane Ellen Stevens focuses on the effects the media have on the viewers and the people within a community. I agree with Stevens when she states that the media fails to provide viewers with information on community violence and violence prevention. Without the knowledge of the violence that is going on in our neighborhoods, we are led to not being able to distinguish the difference between what is real and fantastic crime. In essence, we have a false perception on the reputation of our communities. Also, not knowing about violence prevention increases the number of crimes occurring in neighborhoods. Journalists report crimes from a law enforcement and criminal standpoint. They do not inform the public about statistics and facts. As a result, our agency is being mitigated that our knowledge is being taken away from us and that we, as viewers, are not properly informed about violent incidents that occur in our communities. By not knowing what is going on in our communities, we are slowly losing our agency to act upon preventing violence and crimes. The lack of agency is so problematic because humans are slowly losing their ability to perform certain actions to keep ourselves and our neighborhood safe.
In America, violence has always been an integral part of national culture. Crime and bloodshed are glorified both on and off screen. The more disturbing the act of violence, the more enthralled the public seems. The most prolific of crimes, those committed by infamous serial killers, inspire the most attention. As said by Jeff Lindsay, creator of the book series that inspired the wildly-popular television program, Dexter, “We’re sickened and disgusted, but we need to know. And the more we know about the scene, the more we really are horrified” (“Sympathy for the Devils”). Violence, especially committed by this special class of felons, is enthralling. News reports play a role in this strange attraction, as it is through the news that people even have knowledge of such killers, but the evolution in the “serial killer genre” (Lindsay, “Sympathy for the Devils”) of film and television helps to desensitize people to the gruesome murders that are committed. This begs the question of whether this disturbing trend should be stopped, lest the American “culture of violence” (this has a source) continues to grow stronger. Through news reports, film, and television, criminals are constantly romanticized through use of sympathetic characterization and gratuitous depictions of their crimes, which lends to peoples’ increasingly positive attitudes toward violence and, in turn, feeds the growing culture of violence in America.
According to John Davidson's essay Menace to Society, "three-quarters of Americans surveyed [are] convinced that movies, television and music spur young people to violence." While public opinion is strong, the results of research are divided on the effects of media violence on the youth in this country. Davidson wrote that most experts agree that some correlation between media violence and actual violent acts exists, yet the results are contradictory and researchers quibble about how the effects are to be measured (271). Moreover, Davidson is not convinced that the media is the sole problem of violence, or even a primary problem. He points out that other factors, such as "poverty, the easy accessibility of guns, domestic abuse, [and] social instability" may have a greater impact on a child becoming violent than the influence of the media (277). Even though other forces may be stronger, media violence does have some adverse effects on the members of society. If senseless violence on television and in movies had no effect, it would not be such a hotly debated topic. What type of effects and whom they affect are the most argued aspects of the discussion.
The great Plato had a lot to say on the subject of violence. Plato felt that: “We cannot mitigate the influence of media on the society. Some believe that it is the curse for the contemporary society, as it invigorates individuals to commit crimes”² Are these people right though? Is the media responsible for the increase in crime? Statistics speak otherwise and su...
In the criminal justice field, many studies are focused on the effects of media’s portrayal of crime. The definition of media has included TV news, TV dramas (Law and Order,NCIS, etc), and newspapers. Chiricos. Padgett, and Gertz (2011) and Romer, Hall Jamieson, and Aday (2003) included local versus national TV news watching in their study. Both studies found that increase in viewership of news media increased fear of crime. One found that local news had more of an influence on fear of crime than national news (Chiricos, Padgett, & Gertz, 2000).
Mesoudi, Alex, PhD. "Mass Shooting and Mass Media: Does Media Coverage of Mass Shootings Inspire Copycat Crimes?" International Human Press. N.p., 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.
Media headlines play a huge role in how a person reading or listening to a report will view the suspect and the victim, The media will often do this because of the race of the suspect or killer. “Demonstrating the power that news outlets wield in portraying victims based on images they select” (Wing). The media can portray victims and suspects however they want and
The media and entertainment play a very crucial role in our perception of violence in society. Exposure to violence in the media, including television, movies, music, and video games helps us construct our own perspective on violence. According to Joel Best, his theory on random violence states that random violence and violence, in general, is patternless, pointless, and leads to the deterioration of society. Many examples can be given from national and international media coverage on various random violence acts. There are many sides to the debate about whether or not violence in the media affects us and how prevalent it is in our society. The focal discussion is the influence of violence on people through the mass media: movies, television,
The media, both in the mainstream and alternative sources, determine how the community view crime and how it represents the victims of crime, criminals and law enforcement officials. Media organisations have arguably become the main source of news, entertainment, recreation, and product information in society. For many people, media outlets such as newspapers, magazines, social media and television broadcasts informs viewers about events that affect their everyday lives. This essay it will explore the many variations of how crime is mispresented to society through mass media organisations.
When reporting crime events the media focus only on the negative scenarios that can impact the society, these events are to be know as “newsworthy” (Hall, 1978). Newsworthy crime news is formed through the selective approach taken by the editors where only the main idea of the topic is likely to be reproduced in the media. This is due to crime is not an open event as witnesses are limited hence the selective approach allows the editor to only report the thrilling parts of the crime. (Stuart Hall, 1978: p.53) quoted “‘News’ is the end-product of a complex proves which begins with a systematic sorting and selecting of events and topics according to a socially constructed set of categories”. As a result, this approach has formed bias opinions towards crime reporting as it’s presented in the editor’s point of view (Hall, 1978). The media hence only targets crime with events that is unexpected and events that’s viewed as out of the norm compared to the majority of the society. Alternatively, this changes the view of audiences as they view the society as a ‘problematic reality’ (Hall, 1978). The majority of world is therefore mislead by the fictional reporting of crime as many consumers
The world we live in today is far from perfect. Hearing about murder and violence is something we have all become, accustom to but does that make it right? Absolutely not. Media has influenced an affected a key value of human beings and that value is integrity. The value of integrity is severely lacking and society needs to reestablish the ability to look beyond race, gender, and sexuality. I have seen on multiple occasions’ individuals jumping to conclusions or judging someone simply off the way they look or dress. This has been an issue I have witnessed throughout my high school career and in my everyday routine; media is a large contribution and something needs to be done.
The media's accounts of crime, especially violent can cause paranoia and fear within communities. Violence undermines violating a person; the greatest violent crime being ‘murder’(Hall, 1979). The news which is a primary source to access media reports is filled with violent stories, presenting dramatic events in the most graphic possible fashion, and even the most regulated media institutions are constantly pushing back the boundaries of acceptable reportage when it comes to depicting acts of violence. Thus causing a rupture in the social order. Reporting crimes in such a sensationalist style, misleads the public to believe that much more crime is occurring than it is (Marsh and Melville,