NCJ Number
76029
Journal
JOURNALISM QUARTERLY Volume: 54 Dated: (Winter 1977) Pages: 756-760
Date Published
1977
Length
5 pages
Annotation
An examination of two daily newspapers in Houston reveals that the newspaper, while it contains a substantial amount of crime news, is a poor source of information about the distribution of crime and the likelihood of victimization.
Abstract
Because most information about crime is obtained from the mass media, particularly newspapers, the presentation of crime events becomes significant. To determine the frequency and distribution of news about local crime in the metropolitan daily press, information was gathered for the month of September 1973 from the Houston Post and the Houston Chronicle. The reports of crime in the newspaper were compared to the crimes known to the police for this time period and to the monthly summary index crime report filed with the FBI for September 1973. The distribution of crime reported in the press was markedly dissimilar to the distribution of crimes known to the police. Murder and rape were reported far out of proportion to their frequency of occurrence, while burglary, larceny, and auto theft were substantially underreported. In addition to the influence of news reports of crime, the climate of community opinion may also be shaped by statements of public officials and community notables regarding crime. However, in Houston in 1973, public officials and community notables were not important influences in shaping the climate of public opinion about the likelihood of criminal victimization. The daily press presents the public with a small sample of crime events which are specifically selected for publication on the basis of criteria which make them unusual and different from the preponderance of local street crime. Although this selection may produce interesting news stories, it also makes the community seem much more dangerous than it really is, possible inducing a number of deleterious citizen reactions. A data table and 21 footnotes are supplied.