The Media and Social Panic

In today’s contemporary society the mass media play a very influential role in broadcasting crime news. Crime tends to be more consumed than any other type of news story because of its newsworthiness and this in fact becomes an issue within itself as moral panic is evoked into society (Sacco, 2005). Interestingly research has revealed that many people who experience some fear of crime such as being robbed or attacked because they live in an area with a high rate of crime or being physical or sexually abused have not actually ever been a victim of such offences or even witness them. This raises the idea that individual’s fear of crime is a result of indirect sources and one of these sources is the media influence in creating moral panic (Parker & Ray 1990 as cited by Williams & Dickinson)

A moral panic refers to an exaggerated reaction, usually conducted by the media in relation to some crime issue. However these crimes may be relatively small but have been reported at such a high level by the media that it has led to an increase in general anxiety and concern about certain crimes (Marsh & Melville, 2010). This fear or moral panic of crime as been identified as a problem within itself. In fact fear of crime will grow unless it is checked and controlled by the government and police. Moore and Trojanowicz (1988) argue that “reasonable fears concerning crime can be harnessed to fight the threat of crime, but when these fears become unreasonable they amount to a counterproductive response and become a social problem”

In the past the media have always used certain events or individuals to create some moral panic. Some examples include the Columbine shootings in America that caused alot of moral panic about youth violence and bullying in public high schools. Australia has as well I believed experienced moral panics in relation to the influence of the media on crime. Examples include P- Plate drivers of the age bracket of (17-19) are considered reckless drivers who engage in drink driving and speeding that the media have labeled as deviant and the community should be cautious of. As a result new laws have been implemented by politicians and enforced by police. Another recent example in Australia is bike gangs and how the media has created this moral panic to the community that bike gangs are dangerous and this resulted in new bikie laws. As Cohen (1972) acknowledges “societies appear to be subject, every now and then to periods of moral panic. A condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests; its nature is presented in a stylized and stereotypical fashion by the mass media”.

Different types of media coverage: The Death of Constable Bill Crews

A very recent crime story that has received much media attention is the murder of police officer Bill Crews. His death has received numerous media coverage due to the circumstances of his death and being a police officer. Therefore the reason why I am writing this blog is to examine the similarities and differences of the story on two different media agencies. The two media agencies that I have chosen to compare are television and the newspaper (Daily Telegraph) that have both provided media coverage on the death of Constable Bill Crews

A very recent crime story that has received much media attention is the murder of police officer Bill Crews. His death has received numerous media coverage due to the circumstances of his death and being a police officer. Therefore the reason why I am writing this blog is to examine the similarities and differences of the story on two different media agencies. The two media agencies that I have chosen to compare are television and the newspaper (Daily Telegraph) that have both provided media coverage on the death of Constable Bill Crews

 The Daily Telegraph had Constable Bill Crews face on the front page on Friday the 10^th September 2010 with the heading saying “Supreme sacrifice” and subheading saying “The Story of Constable Bill Crews. How he lived and died a hero”. The next four pages on the telegraph are dedicated to Crew’s life and how it came to a tragic sudden end. Pages two and three have the heading “Life dedicated to law and honour”. There is a picture shown of the police taking the man who killed Crews. I believe the picture is illustrating that Crew’s death will not be in vain and that the police have caught the man responsible for the death of Crews and he will be brought to justice for the murder he has committed. Below the pictures is information about the life of Crews. It is highlighted how Crew was following in his father footsteps. On pages four and five the heading reads “Hero stood firm in hail of bullets”  these two pages address how Crew was killed in the line of duty by giving a step by step of how his death unfolded

The other media agency that reported on the story was television. In particular I looked at the ABC coverage story of Crews death. I have provided a link so others can see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6oCNwXBh30

The story goes for 2 minutes and 37 seconds. At beginning on the story the news woman gives brief overview of the story highlighting that Constable Bill Crews was “26 years old and was taking part in a raid in Sydney’s south west when he was shot in the head and neck.” It was discovered that Crew’s wasn’t wearing a bullet proof vest or helmet and neither was his other colleagues.

During that time images are shown of police crime squad retracing the steps of the raid and how it went wrong with a voice over explaining what the viewer is seeing. Then Dave Huddson Assist police commissioner talks about how everyone has been strong about the death of Crews and that they (police) like the community and obviously Crew’s family want an outcome as to how exactly he was shot and by who shot the fatal bullet.

In summary the Daily Telegraph provided background information about Crew’s life and step by step of how his life came to tragic end under the line of duty. The newspaper is able to provide more information such as his life because it has more time and space compared to that of television news. A report on television usually only goes for few minutes and is direct in it’s information as ABC television report focused specifically and directly on the aftermath of Crew’s murder and the protocols that police were going to take in future raids like wearing helmets and bullet proof vests.

Fictional crimes shows and there effect on how the public perceive crime.

In today’s society its seems that the general population seem to have a fascination with fictional crime shows. This is evident through shows like law and order, CSI, Criminal Minds, City Homicide and Underbelly to name a few.

The question that arises from these fictional crime shows is what effect are these shows creating about crime and the criminal justice system? Are these shows creating the right perception about crime in that if you commit murder for example you will be caught and fairly prosecuted under the law or are they glamorising crime and criminals like the underbelly franchise?

 
I will start with American crime shows like Law and Order and CSI. These shows I believe are positive forms of fictional crime shows as they highlight criminal cases which usually involve a person/s who commit a crime like murder and police use many tactics such as forensic science and asking witnesses to find out who committed the crime. Usually the majority of the time the criminal will be caught and then prosecuted. This is a positive aspect of crime and justice and will influence the public watching that crime doesn’t pay.

An issue does arise with this kind of fictional crime show however, as people watching perhaps are mislead into believing that the criminal justice system and especially enforcement by police is that effective. Most times crimes will go unsolved and people will get away with robbery, assault and even murder. Even when they are caught the justice system may fail in effectively prosecuting them due to lack of evidence or the defendant may have a good legal representation. (OJ Simpson case comes to mind)

While other times an innocent person will be convicted of crime they did not commit. The criminal justice system is not perfect like most things in this world people can make mistakes even in the court of law. The main point I’m trying to establish is that these crime shows are a good indicator about how the police use forensic science to catch criminals and how the justice system works but in saying that the public watching have to realise that the law isn’t always as effective and smooth and unfortunately unless people have some background knowledge about the criminal justice system they may think that the crime shows they watch are similar to how it works in the real world.

On the other hand a show that has received much attention of late about crime, police and corruption within the legal system enforcement is the Underbelly franchise. Underbelly is I would say the opposite of shows like Law and Order that portray more of the police side. Underbelly focuses more on the criminal’s side and how they become rich and powerful through the selling and dealing of drugs which ultimately leads to their demise. Murder, drugs and sex plays a significant role in underbelly franchise. It can be argued that Underbelly in fact glamourise crime. An example of this is how they all drive nice cars and live in nice homes. Although each series is said to be based on true events one wonders how much is reality and how much is actually fiction. That’s really beside the point the main argument I’m illustrating is how shows like Underbelly make criminals look good. Underbelly may give people ideas how to commit crimes and perhaps get away with it especially young people who can be easily influenced into a life of crime if they have abusive parents and limited education. The latest Underbelly the Golden Mile highlights the lead character John ibraham like some kind of hero despite the fact that he may have dealt drugs although he has never been charged of any serious offence. In summary I think underbelly can give out the wrong message about organised crime.