relation between media and crime? describe how media influence our understanding of crime. explain the difference between the fear of crime and risk.
how does it influence our understanding of crime? whats the differnce between crime and the actual risk of crime. TV, newspaper, internet and so on.
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Media in general tends to inflate and exaggerate crime. The crime that you are likely to see on the news for example; is likely to be a series of violent crimes. The same thing can be found on the internet and newspaper. Crime through media is intended to draw the reader in, and interest them. If we are not interested, how likely are we to watch the news? The fact is that brutal murders and serial killers are at the lower levels of the crime rate. Property crime is far more common than any type of violent crime in the US.
The fear of crime by far outweighs the actual risk. The motivation for this can be a number of things, including gaining the interest of the public as mentioned above. Fear of becoming a victim of violent crime can drive society to push for harsher penalties against offenders; which is often times used in political campaigns. Another motivation for promoting a certain fear of crime is money. By inflating the idea of violent crime, people are more likely to invest in certain protections. If the public thinks there is a serial killer on the loose, they are more likely to rush out and purchase things like home security systems and other safety devices.
As you can see, the relationship between media and crime provides a strong influence on the public ideology of crime. Media tends to promote the least likely, but most interesting crime which drives an unwarranted fear of violent crime victimization within the public. The risk of the violent crime portrayed by the media is much less likely than the more prominent level of property crime.
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