This document is suitable for 1st year criminology student studying Unit 1. This document contains several ways the media represents crime it was written by a student. It also contains key case studies and theories which can be used by students to develop their knowledge and answers in this unit.
The media represents crime in several different ways. One of them is how the TV portrays crime. In
TV crime is mostly unrealistic as it is exaggerated. For example, murder, in movies they are always
done in a way that’s well-planned, but the offender is always caught in the end of the movie. In real
life, crimes are difficult to solve they are time consuming, and it takes time and resources to get the
results of evidence like fingerprint. On the other hand, there are also some TV shows that present
crimes realistically like Crimewatch which raises awareness on crime. However, documentaries are
less entertaining so less people could be aware that there are documentaries about crime. In TV they
try to demonstrate the factual and fictional crime evenly or somewhat balanced so that it doesn’t go
extreme demonstrating crimes like murder or rape.
Newspapers also portray crime and use a rule in terms of what stories they share. The idea was
introduced by Surette and he stated that newspapers are more likely to share information on crimes
that fit one or more of the news values like violence. For example, Anders Breivik ‘trained’ for a
crime by playing Call of Duty. This shows that newspapers use crimes that are extreme this then
helps keep people more aware that this happens. They have a good impact on crime as it can create
new and better laws like Sarah Payne’s. If crimes are constantly reported in statistics e.g., how often
they happen it can cause people to move away which can increase crime rates and puts people at
risk at all areas.
In addition to how the Tv presents crime. There are films that are more factual in presenting crime
like Legend Official which was a true story, and the movie is very violent and serious but the police in
this movie are seen as weaker than the people who committed the crime in terms of power and
authority. In this movie people for example can have a view of police being weak and not being able
to do anything which is somewhat true as they don’t record all the crimes that have been reported
or they don’t solve all the cases because there is not enough evidence or resources to do so.
Comparing this to another movie which is more of a comedy that has crime included is shown that
police don’t take their jobs seriously and that they are a joke like they don’t know how to solve
crimes. This then can lead the views of the public being affected by films that have police or
offenders, and in real life might cause people to disobey police because of the views they have.
According to Allen et al (1997) ⅕ of movies include crimes and ½ include significant content for
example Child’s Play movie has caused people to be motivated and inspired to imitate what they did
in the movie so therefore violent movies can be blamed for increasing the rates of crime. Hall et al
(1978) had also stated that violence plays an important role in newsworthiness this then provides
further evidence that violence is what newspapers look for. Computer games also demonstrate a
different way in which crimes are shown for example GTA is a game that allows the player to steal,
murder and the ownership of several different types of guns. This can therefore influence people
that these types of crimes are easy and that you can easily get away with it like in the game. Other
games like call of duty which has influenced a serial killer to plan easily how to murder someone. The
game Call of Duty portrays factual crime in a more serious way. Music like Rap is also seen as
affecting the views of the public. Music that has more disturbing language and music videos that
show more violent behaviour. For example, AC/DC is a band that has some disturbing language in
the lyrics which inspired someone to kill in a similar way it is mentioned, the lyrics helped him to gain
a name ‘Night Prowler’. This also presents a negative impact on crime because music that has
obscene language or behaviours that are socially unacceptable could be associated with people
getting inspired to commit a crime. For example, Jermaine Groupall’s case, he was stabbed to death.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller yourlawtutor. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $6.26. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
