The media plays a significant role in not only how people find out about certain crimes but also how people perceive that crime. The media chooses which crimes should be broadcasted which influences the way viewers may react to content on crime.
1. The media overplays extraordinary crimes and underplay ordinary crimes. This leads to the ‘ingenuity fallacy’ because media images make us believe that we have to be intelligent or brave to commit crime.
2. The media portrays criminals as older and more middle class. This is incorrect because most crime is committed by working class people aged 15 to 20 (ONS).
3. The media exaggerates the risk of victimisation. They portray that women, white people and higher status people are more likely to be victims. This can be seen during the #MeToo movement where white high-status women were at the centre of media coverage. However, young BME males are often most at risk of many crimes.
4. The media over-represent violent and sexual crime. Marsh (1991) found that in America violent crimes are 36 times more likely to be reported compared to property crime. However, sexual and violent crimes could be considered some of the worst crimes and deserve more focus.
