NCJ Number
130273
Date Published
1991
Length
313 pages
Annotation
This discussion of homicide uses extensive case examples to examine ways in which the print and broadcast media provide information about murderers and victims and the influences of this information on public perceptions about the crime.
Abstract
The ways that homicides are described in newspapers, television dramas, documentaries, novels, and comic strips are described, using examples of actual and fictional murder cases. The cases include murders by strangers, homicides committed by family members, serial murders, and other homicides. The discussion covers the media's view of murder as a marketable item, the portrayal of a particular murder as a "good" or "bad" murder based on the characteristics of the offender and the victim, and murder as a solution to a problem. The text also discusses the aftermath of homicides and legal issues related to intent, due process, the insanity defense, self-defense, and capital punishment. Footnotes, name index, subject index, and 365 references