CRIM 1700 Lecture Notes - Lecture 21: News Values
15 Nov 2016
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Document Summary
Two kinds of cases get especially large amounts of attention: ideal victims- ex. children (jeffrey curley, celebrities. Problems with the portrayals: focus on rare crimes, focus on street crimes over corporate/state, focus on stranger over acquaintance victimizations, race differences in coverage and content. Ex. mugshots vs. average photo (implies guilt) Ex. female/white/af uent even though usually young black men: individual events over broader context, major cause mentioned is failure of the criminal justice system, transition drug stories from medical to criminal. Why does the news focus on the stories it does in the way it does: news values- best are clear good guy - bad guy , organizational needs- competition, reliance on of cial sources. Ex. changing evidence: vigilante policing being restrained by liberal policing. Crime lms: similar trends, critical classes. The mean world: cultivation, possible impacts. Interests of public are ill-served by focus on defendant and rights. Hard working cops do their best in the face of challenges.
