The media holds a very unique and important position for information sharing and dissemination in the society. It is the prime source of information on crimes and safety for a large proportion of the population. The media wields such enormous powerful social force that lobbyist from all sort of interest groups, rely on to achieve political, economic and sometimes personal gains through swaying of public opinion. Just like any other organization, media is prone to becoming tools in the hands of politicians, criminal justice policy makers and other stakeholders. According to Beale (2006), “Political candidates use the news media to garner support, which in the United States has often meant campaigning on issues of crime and punishment and prime the public to judge candidates by their actions and stands on criminal justice issues” (p. 476).
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The media was used to sway public support for the war. That’s how much of a social force the media can become. The media's crime coverage increases public receptivity to and support for punitive crime initiatives (Beale, 2006. P.476). Proctor, Badzinski, & Johnson (2002) states, “The media do have an effect on perceptions of crime policies; the more attention one pays to crime in the media, the more likely they are to support specific criminal justice policies” (p.
The media was used to sway public support for the war. That’s how much of a social force the media can become. The media's crime coverage increases public receptivity to and support for punitive crime initiatives (Beale, 2006. P.476). Proctor, Badzinski, & Johnson (2002) states, “The media do have an effect on perceptions of crime policies; the more attention one pays to crime in the media, the more likely they are to support specific criminal justice policies” (p.