My notes for Changing Awareness of Crime AC 1.5 - explain the impact of media representations on the public perception of crime. In the controlled assessment, I achieved 96/100 (100/100 UMS marks).
Explain the Impact of Media Representations on the Public Perception of Crime
Moral Panics
The media representation of crime can cause more crime.
Stanley Cohen says that moral panics are an exaggerated, irrational over-reaction by society
to a perceived problem.
It starts with the media identifying a group as a folk devil, or a threat to society’s values.
They exaggerate the problem, blaming the folk devil and they sensationalise the reporting of
the problem.
The media and government then publicly condemn the behaviour of the group and want a
crackdown.
This can amplify the problem.
What are the three elements of a moral panic?
Exaggeration and distortion
o Exaggerate the severity of the crime.
o Exaggerate the amount of damage.
o Distort reality by using dramatic imagery.
o Media staff incite violence.
Prediction
o People predict where crime will occur.
o People also predict that things will be worse the next time, so more people go and
make the situation worse.
Symbolisation
o Dress sense.
o What they drive.
o Hairstyles.
o Creates unrealistic separations between groups and subcultures.
1980s HIV/AIDS moral panic
Some media outlets nicknamed HIV/AIDS the “gay plague”, stigmatising a specific section of
the population as being to blame (folk devil).
Famous iceberg advertisement by the government clearly hinted that there was a lot more
to HIV/AIDS than the public could possibly know about with the vast bulk hidden from view.
When it became clear that the disease was not caused/passed on by the gay community, the
media shifted the blame to the generally loose moral standards of the younger generation.
Deviancy amplification spiral
What is the process of the deviancy amplification spiral?
A criminal or deviant event occurs.
The event is seen as newsworthy.
The event is sensationalised in the media and a folk devil is identified.
Other examples are found and reported widely.
There is a public outcry and people demand action (moral panic).
The government/police respond to concerns with tough laws and enforcement.
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