The interaction of the media with crime in Australia has a significant impact on the community’s perception of the effectiveness of justice and therefore the crime rates. Selective coverage of crimes, agenda setting, as well as information framing are all methods which produce the media’s prominent entertainment role. What this research intends to achieve is an understanding of how the media interacts with the criminal justice system and how this translates into the public’s confidence, or lack thereof, in the perpetuation of criminal offences. Having an understanding of how the media’s interaction with the criminal justice system translates into the public’s articulation of what constitutes a “crime”, is of great importance in determining
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Within the study of media this question has two therorectical traditions that relate to the understanding of crime (Wood 2015, pp 5 – 6). The over-reporting of violent crimes is due to what reflects public interests (Wood 2015 p 6). Although the rates for property crime is higher than the rate on violent crimes in Australia, the community is more cerned with violent crimes, therefore the media reports on violent crimes and use the new’s focus to educate the public by keeping them informed of possible problem areas (Woods 2015 p6, Australian Institute of Criminology 2015, Australian Institute of Criminology 2016). There are two perspectives relating crime are to The functionalist theoretical perpective which seeks to analyse how social structure such as politics, religion and education serve as functions necessary for a stable growth of society (Woods 2015 p6). This view is sees media as providing information to citizens as an unofficial body of power that endevours to keep governmental activities in check (Woods 2015 p6). And the Critical perspectived which argues that violent crimes are most frequently supported by the interestsd of the wealthy, those in political power on in dominant social groups (Wood 2015 p6). With the production of media over-reporting on violent crimes or only to what is a concern to audiences this mis-represents the actual crime levels within
Within the study of media this question has two therorectical traditions that relate to the understanding of crime (Wood 2015, pp 5 – 6). The over-reporting of violent crimes is due to what reflects public interests (Wood 2015 p 6). Although the rates for property crime is higher than the rate on violent crimes in Australia, the community is more cerned with violent crimes, therefore the media reports on violent crimes and use the new’s focus to educate the public by keeping them informed of possible problem areas (Woods 2015 p6, Australian Institute of Criminology 2015, Australian Institute of Criminology 2016). There are two perspectives relating crime are to The functionalist theoretical perpective which seeks to analyse how social structure such as politics, religion and education serve as functions necessary for a stable growth of society (Woods 2015 p6). This view is sees media as providing information to citizens as an unofficial body of power that endevours to keep governmental activities in check (Woods 2015 p6). And the Critical perspectived which argues that violent crimes are most frequently supported by the interestsd of the wealthy, those in political power on in dominant social groups (Wood 2015 p6). With the production of media over-reporting on violent crimes or only to what is a concern to audiences this mis-represents the actual crime levels within