Communicating Crime Reduction

Considering fear of crime

The media and crime

Media attention on high profile and sensational crime can distort the true picture.  Even with good news about falling crime rates, the media prefer to single out instances where crime is rising.  This tendency to sensationalise crime extends beyond the news media through to TV drama and cinema. There is a continuing fascination with crime that will never go away even if the media could be persuaded to temper their worst excesses. 

Crime stories carry all or most of the ‘media triggers’ identified by academic research e.g.

•  Questions of blame.
   

• Alleged secrets and attempted cover-ups.
   

• Human interest through identified heroes, villains, victims and dupes.
   

• Links with existing high profile issues or personalities
   

• Conflict.
   

• Portent of further ills (What next?).
   

• Many people exposed to the risk, even if at low levels (It could be you).
   

• Strong visual impact (e.g. pictures of suffering).

page     1     [2]    

Home I Learning zone I Contact us I Close Window