Media And Criminal Justice Essay

It is believed that the media contributes to our understanding of the crime and criminal justice system through the use of the media. The media is seen as one of the most prominent instruments in society, as it plays a significant role in defining the way in which we look at crime and the criminal justice system. The term ‘media’ covers a myriad of forms that are used to inform or entertain commentators; which include both new and old media, such as television, newspaper and radio. All of the forms previously listed present information in a different method, which can cause audiences to have a different outlook on crime and the criminal justice system. With a staggering five to ten percent of newspapers being used solely for reports on crime and the criminal justice system it is not surprising that we gain most of our understanding of these subjects from the media. (Newburn,2007)One of …show more content…
(Greer, 2009) In Chibnall’s 1977 study, he found that there are eight possible news values that are used when determining which stories to cover. Chibnall’s values included: personalisation, the idea that a story becomes more newsworthy when a person of higher standing is named or mentioned; alongside dramatisation where the story is filled with spectacle that helps to attract an audiences’ attention. (Chibnall, 1977 cited in Newburn, 2007) These values are integral to journalists as they are the ones that are left with the task of presenting the facts of a crime story to its audience, it is seen as their responsibility to reflect the true situation through the media without this audiences will have a skewed perception of the criminal justice system and crime. (Bates,