NCJ Number
161791
Date Published
1994
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This conference on violence and young people determined that covering children and violence requires journalists to evaluate confusing crime data, investigate root crime causes, search for crime solutions, and try to put a human face on statistics while dealing with confidentiality and access barriers in child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
Abstract
Conference speakers cautioned journalists to carefully scrutinize crime data because crime statistics can be confusing. They warned that, without context, daily images and stories about random crime and violence can fuel false public perceptions of an unprecedented crime wave and misguide public policy solutions. Many conference speakers decried the prominent play given to random murders and street crime in television and newspapers as misleading. Some speakers were skeptical about the media's ability to focus on complex issues, while journalists noted the difficulty of informing readers about violence with compelling, readable stories while not stepping over the line into sensationalism. Journalists were urged to go beyond daily body counts and explore root causes of violence. Conference speakers also encouraged journalists to look at resiliency in children and communities and addressed the dangers of racial and ethnic stereotypes in media coverage of crime. Journalists discussed new ways of covering violence and other concerns, such as ethical considerations when interviewing children, developing new sources of information, and dealing with confidentiality rules that restrict access to juvenile courts and child welfare systems. In addition, journalists spoke about daily demands and biases in their own news organizations. 5 photographs