“The Crime Problem” has always been a topic of interest among Americans. For whatever reason, the bloodier the crime, the higher the interest and the more people there are looking for information. According to much research collected over the past three decades, “particularly heinous crimes have tremendous appeal for the media” (Dowler, et al. 842). In order to receive the most updated crime news, Americans turn to the media; newspapers, magazines, news stations, and social media. While the media is a strong resource to obtain information, it is not without its flaws. No matter one’s news source, there will always be some sort of bias mixed in with the information. For example, because of the high level of interest in violent crimes, traditional
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Victims in these shows are often attacked in broad daylight in their seemingly safe suburban neighborhoods. As the crime drama stereotype suggests, all the women in this episode of Criminal Minds were attacked during the day while doing a normal activity such as working out or cooking. In addition, at some point before or after the attack, pictures of the victim with her family were shown. By presenting victims this way, viewers are able to connect with the victim, making the viewer feel as though their chances of becoming randomly victimized are more likely than they actually are. The viewers begin to think that if a rich person in a nice neighborhood can be attacked in the middle of the day, then the viewer is equally likely to suffer the same fate (“Plain Sight”). Also, with regards to the portrayal of victims in crime dramas are the factors of race and gender. In both television shows and the media, crimes with white female victims are the crimes that are predominately covered. One study found that “minority crime victims receive less attention and less sympathy than white victims,” which explains why there are rarely any non-white victims in these crime show dramas (Dowler, et al. 840). While Americans do seem to be the most interested in violent crimes, violent crimes with white victims are going to be the crimes that are
Victims in these shows are often attacked in broad daylight in their seemingly safe suburban neighborhoods. As the crime drama stereotype suggests, all the women in this episode of Criminal Minds were attacked during the day while doing a normal activity such as working out or cooking. In addition, at some point before or after the attack, pictures of the victim with her family were shown. By presenting victims this way, viewers are able to connect with the victim, making the viewer feel as though their chances of becoming randomly victimized are more likely than they actually are. The viewers begin to think that if a rich person in a nice neighborhood can be attacked in the middle of the day, then the viewer is equally likely to suffer the same fate (“Plain Sight”). Also, with regards to the portrayal of victims in crime dramas are the factors of race and gender. In both television shows and the media, crimes with white female victims are the crimes that are predominately covered. One study found that “minority crime victims receive less attention and less sympathy than white victims,” which explains why there are rarely any non-white victims in these crime show dramas (Dowler, et al. 840). While Americans do seem to be the most interested in violent crimes, violent crimes with white victims are going to be the crimes that are