SOC-3340 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Csi Effect, Police Dog, Rape Kit
31 Aug 2016
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Document Summary
Reporting on crime: on average, tv news networks devote more time to crime than any other story, local news, on average, spends 30% of its time on crime news. Compared to: government 11%, health 7%, education 4: most news focuses on serious crime, even though these crimes are the most rare. Murder and robbery account for 0. 2% of crime, but they represent 27-29% of all news stories: violent crimes committed by strangers are reported more often than crime committed by acquaintances and/or intimates. However, strangers only commit 22% of crimes: the most common crime victims covered are white females of all ages. Even though white and black males are the most common victims: crime stories provide details about the specific crime, but often fail to provide broader context. Why does the news have this focus: crime is news. Readers and viewers are interested in crime. Violent, predatory crime news best represents the struggle between good/evil: organization needs.
