Abstract
One of the biggest questions we face today involves the perception of the police? What is the perception of how we look at our officials in law enforcement? Is this something that’s based on personal experiences? Is it media driven? Over the last year, we’ve had to examples in the media that pertains to this discussion. In Ferguson, MO there was the Michael Brown case involving the shooting of an unarmed man by police officer Darrin Wilson. There was the death of Eric Garner involving the New York Police Department. Depending on what media news outlet you’ve watched, the reader was given different point of views. On some news channels, the media outlets played the role that the person killed was committing no crime. On another
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(Engel 2005) states that since most citizens have very limited contact with the police, the media tends to shape beliefs and expectations about the police, especially given the growing rise in the amount of crime-related media over the last thirty years. The way that crime is being covered, it’s coverage with the media is growing.
The growing coverage of crime in the media also brings in a huge profit to these media companies. According to (McCall 2007), roughly about a third of all new stories on television and in papers are related to the police and or crimes. In the last decade, the only terrorism and war stories that have surpassed crime in the America. News organizations gather their information on what the public wants and needs based on the constant polling that these media organizations conduct. The media knows that sensationalism and violence equals ratings. The news companies that when they’re able to send a reporter or a correspondent into the field of danger, this creates drama and draws a larger viewing audience.
The sensationalism of crime on the news has also resulted in an enormous amount of crime shows and movies being developed over the years. Almost a third of the top 40 shows on television in the mid 2000’s had to do with crime (Phillips and Frost 2010). With all of these shows on television, some wonder
One of the largest ways the media influences public opinions is through the news. News outlets report on local and world events, often applying their own bias to advance an agenda (Cavender, 2004). In general, entertainment television depicts crime, especially violent crime, far more often than it actually occurs in the real world (O’Keefe, 1987). Crime is more often than not presented to the public in two ways: crime is violent and criminals are nonwhite (Gilliam, et al, 1996). When put together, these two factors have
Hollywood scripts and television programming are filled with storylines of crime and criminal justice. The viewing public consumes crime
Lack of training and policing standards are closely linked to the myriad problems bedeviling police work, especially in small departments (Brodeur, 2010). All over the country, police departments report cases of officers being caught in uncompromising and unprofessional situations, resulting in disciplinary actions such as redeployment, suspension or sacking. These cases of unprofessionalism have led to questions being asked about policing, occasioned by recurring series of questionable and controversial encounters with police officers (Brodeur, 2010). The consequence of such encounters is increasing public distrust in law enforcement agencies.
Media is everywhere nowadays. Whether it’s billboards, radio, commercials, trailers, or product placement, the media has spent the better part of a century perfecting the ability to sway public opinion. How could this not have an impact on the Criminal Justice System? There is an old saying, perception is reality. This clearly applies to the narrative shaping abilities that the media poses. Although not explicitly resulting in an effect on Criminal Justice Policy, Communication Theorist George Gerbner proposed Cultivation Theory, also known as mean world syndrome, which refers to the phenomenon that a viewer experiences when they consume too much violent media content, where in that, they begin to perceive the world as more dangerous than it actually is.
When an individual chooses a career in law enforcement they realize it can be a very rewarding, yet dangerous career path to take. Most people often hear about all the potential dangers such as officer involved shootings and physical confrontations before making the choice to join the ranks of the few who will always stand for what is right. However, today there is a new danger to law enforcement known as the mass media which adds a whole new realm of difficulty to an already taxing job. The negative effects of the media can be felt nationwide by law enforcement agencies and these effects include creating a divided community, unrealistic expectations, and the devastation of current and future law enforcement careers. This presentation
Criminology is continuously changing and developing. Advances of technology have made media our primary news source for crime. We believe the stories told by our local news media, not doubting a word because these sources are supposedly reliable. Nevertheless, they sometimes do spread false information. It may be intentional or unintentional. According to Cohen, media presence amplifies a problem which did not previously exist (Steeves and Milford, 2015) thus creating a moral panic. As media influence increases, it is necessary for criminologists to study moral panics, such as the Columbine School shootings or the Hurricane Katrina aftermath.
Theorist Surette (1998), looks at ‘the law of opposites’, this is the opposite view of the official statistics. It shows that: Property crime is underrepresented, fictional police officers catch the criminal and fictional sex crimes are committed by strangers rather than acquaintances. Looking at the theory we can relate to popular TV Shows such as Dexter (2013), in which portrays the police officers as incompetent. This glamourizes the crime as criminals begin to believe they are able to get away with the deviance / criminal act.
The media plays the role as entertaining and a source of information to its viewers, however, with the current crime trends, most viewers have the perceptions that our criminal justice system is lacking in areas of proper sentencing and protecting the viewers. All this is based upon what we see in the media is the information reliable or not? I say this because of hearing about news personality lying about their experience only to booster the networks rating. When the criminal justice system has contact with the media, most will withhold information or give misleading information to justify the capture or conviction of a criminal. So not only are we questioning the efficacy of the criminal justice system but the media as well.
In Rob Mawby (2002) article “Continuity and change, convergence and divergence,” he discusses the police-media relations and its ongoing conflicts. The purpose of the article is to focus on the relationship between the police and the news media and how it has grown over the years. The first step that Mawby (2002) take is a historical perspective of a police–media relationship. Second, look into changing the context of policing by considering a new management view for police-media relationship. Third, conduct a survey of police forces to scope the current practice of police–media relations. Lastly, identify dominant trends in policy and practice.
The public impression of police use of force, as brutality, in modern day policing continues to be a sensitive issue for law enforcement agencies across the nation. Police agencies across the United States deal with accusations of misuse of force on
Different forms of media, such as television, films, books, and newspapers, have similar ways of portraying the criminal justice system. The media constructs representations of crime and justice and in doing this, it presents an often dramatized representation of the criminal justice system; and this does not just influence on the public’s lay view of crime but also for criminal justice experts (Marsh, 2014). In the media it is commonly known that they are a business, and businesses need to make a profit. Because of this, the media’s portrayal of the criminal justice system has been very negative. With the news, their main purpose is to produce what sells. So many of them would edit the information they have gathered and make a story that will sell. Also the media does not show the full process of the criminal justice as a quick process, while in fact it is not. For example, last year, Netflix released a short series called “Making A Murderer”. Most people claimed that they feel like they can solve a crime when they finished watching a series. While that series is very factual, it does not hit every single step of the criminal justice process.
These days, police are often stereotyped as aggressive, corrupt beings. The growing hatred for police officers widens the divide between citizens and law enforcement, causing tension and intensely aggressive feelings on both ends. The recent shootings of young African-American men have also added to the societal hatred of law enforcement. Through media exposure, these shootings have been portrayed as cruel, often times revealing the victim to be an unarmed man.
People talk about law enforcement need training on how to talk to traffic violators and individuals in general. Police face obstacles daily during and after work. The news media is part of the issue police face. Example: officer shot an unarmed suspect for no reason. The police should have talked to the person before he killed him. The news report half of the stories that are not true, but the news personnel never apologize. Democracy is people’s sovereignty. (Szelely, C. 2016). In the public eyes, the first impression is to prejudge the officer. The most important rule of the day for officers is to save someone life and return home to your family. The police and the public need to join forces and work together as one. Our sons, daughters,
The news media on the television does a poor job with putting news out about the positives the police do for the community. They are heavy set on making the
Crime is a very prominent issue. Most of us know someone who has been a victim of a crime, has committed a crime or have committed a crime ourselves. News outlets are filled with crime stories. Television shows depict criminals and the agencies trying to bring criminals to justice. Being such a dominant part of life, it is essential that we take a deeper look into the causes and trends of crime.