NCJ Number
216572
Journal
Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice Volume: 48 Issue: 6 Dated: October 2006 Pages: 837-850
Date Published
October 2006
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This article provides background information on the content and effects of media coverage and dramatization of crime as an introduction to three articles in this journal that deal with various aspects of the interplay between crime, media, and popular culture.
Abstract
Given the research of the past 30 years, it is clear that reporting on and dramatizing particularly heinous crimes have appeal for the media, the public, and politicians. Television programs that deal with real crimes have multiplied, and fictional television crime drama series draw large numbers of viewers. Crime as both entertainment and news has so permeated media presentations that crime has become a central focus of popular culture. This has led the public to overestimate the prevalence of violent and heinous crimes and the risk of becoming a victim of such crimes. It has also contributed to ever tougher laws against "street" crimes, sex offenses, and stranger-to-stranger crimes, since these receive the most attention in the media. Further, there continues to be debate about whether this crime-oriented cultural saturation contributes directly to the production of crime and violence. One of the articles summarized in this introductory overview considers the development of criminological research and thinking on crime, media, and popular culture. A second article examines how race becomes an inevitable issue in portrayals of the characteristics of violent criminals. The third article documents the press coverage of the Westray mining explosion in Canada and the developments in news reporting that followed it from 1992 to 2002. 58 references