SOC327 Chapter Notes - Chapter class: Boxing Day Shooting, Media Bias, Moral Panic
15 Apr 2016
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Sept 16: media representations of crime and criminal justice. Mainstream media is a very powerful source in our society. The dominant message is the one that is in media. There is a political context that is often not made explicit. Journalists often rely on government officials and the police for information. Their use of expert commentary provides credibility but absolves media of responsibility while also reinforcing a particular ideological position. Primary concern/objective of media is to generate profit ( it is a big business) Importance of the event or issue itself, it must be sensational enough on its own to generate media attention: sensationalism is also affected by how we get informed about it. Violent crimes certainly sensational and the way it is reported just puts more emphasis on seasonality. News media provides us with socially constructive events ( media is s tory teller, they are creating stories from the raw materials )
