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”.