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News Coverage and Crime: a Qualitative Study of Agents Involved in News Production

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News Coverage and Crime: a Qualitative Study of Agents Involved in News Production NEWS COVERAGE AND CRIME: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF AGENTS INVOLVED IN NEWS PRODUCTION Nicholas J. Chagnon A Thesis Submitted to the University of North Carolina Wilmington in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Department of Sociology and Criminology University of North Carolina Wilmington 2010 Approved by Advisory Committee John Rice Randy LaGrange Donna King Chair Accepted by Dean, Graduate School TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................ ii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................ v DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................... vi TABLE OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................. vii INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................... 2 A Social Constructionist Perspective of Crime and Media ........................................................ 2 Problems with Media Representations of Crime ........................................................................ 7 Studying Media Effects ............................................................................................................ 16 Moral Panics and Crime Waves ................................................................................................ 19 Memorial Legislation and Other Prominent Programs ............................................................. 26 METHODS ................................................................................................................................... 31 Sample ...................................................................................................................................... 32 Data Collection ......................................................................................................................... 33 Key Concepts ............................................................................................................................ 34 Analytical Approach ................................................................................................................. 35 RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................... 36 Relationships Between Law Enforcement and Media .............................................................. 36 Areas of Conflict ....................................................................................................................... 39 Image Management and Agency Promotion by Law Enforcement .......................................... 43 The Role of Public Information Officers .................................................................................. 46 General Assessments of Crime Coverage ................................................................................. 49 Positive Aspects and Functions of Crime Coverage ................................................................. 50 Differences Across Media Types .............................................................................................. 52 Sensationalism .......................................................................................................................... 54 Infotainment .............................................................................................................................. 57 A Distorted Picture of Crime and the Criminal Justice System ............................................... 63 Racial Issues with Coverage ..................................................................................................... 70 Gender Issues with Coverage ................................................................................................... 75 Media Influence on the Criminal Justice System ..................................................................... 78 ii Explanations and Rationales Behind Coverage ........................................................................ 83 Views Concerning Analytical/Critical Coverage ..................................................................... 92 Summary of Findings ................................................................................................................ 95 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................. 99 Figure 1- Lenses and Filters Affecting News Production ................................................... 100 Hegemonic Criminal Justice Attitudes, Episodic Thought, and Their Impacts ...................... 104 Figure 2 -Feedback Loop- Episodic Thought and Hegemonic Criminal Justice Ideology 114 IMPLICATIONS FOR IMPROVING COVERAGE ................................................................. 116 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 119 Appendix A: Interview Guide for Law Enforcement ............................................................. 122 Appendix B: Interview Guide for Media Personnel ............................................................... 124 iii ABSTRACT This study examines the social construction of crime through the news production process. In-depth interviews with law enforcement and media personnel, two parties integrally involved in the news production process, were used to investigate respondents‟ opinions regarding crime news. Respondents were questioned about their awareness of and views concerning the news production process as well as issues raised by previous research examining crime news. This thesis provides both the descriptive and analytical findings that emerged from these data. Interviews reveal the several themes affecting crime news to which respondents were most sensitive, including: the role of public information officers, business constraints, and media‟s impact on criminal justice policy. Respondents had a limited grasp of issues raised by previous research. The conclusions of this study outline a framework of themes that serve as filters and lenses shaping crime news which can be used for examining the news production process. Furthermore, through a grounded theory approach, two unanticipated themes, episodic thinking and hegemonic criminal justice ideologies emerge as primary forces shaping crime news. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many thanks to my committee chair, Dr. Donna King and committee members Dr. John Rice and Dr. Randy LaGrange. Also I would like to thank MA program directors Dr. Mike Maume and Dr. Leslie Hossfeld. Additionally, I would like to thank all those professors who provided me guidance and inspiration throughout my course of study at UNCW, especially Dr. Kim Cook, Dr. Cecil Willis, Dr. Kristin DeVall, Dr. Christina Lanier, Dr. Sangmoon Kim, Dr. Adam Watkins, and Dr. Jean-Anne Sutherland. Finally, I would like to thank my parents Jim and Maryann Chagnon for their undying support. v DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to all those who have suffered under the oppression of a misguided and misinformed criminal [in]justice system, especially police officers and offenders. vi TABLE OF FIGURES Figure Page 1 Lenses and Filters Affecting News Production……………………………………….100 2 Feedback Loop- Episodic Thought and Hegemonic Criminal Justice Ideology……………………………………………………………………………….114 vii INTRODUCTION The various mass media constitute one of, if not the most, prevalent socializing forces in our society today. This pervasiveness has increased greatly over the last twenty years with the advent of the Internet age and increased usage of electronic media. The volume of information disseminated by mass media has grown by proportions that would be nearly impossible to measure. Media messages bombard us every day in a variety of contexts; at home, in the car, on our computers, and in a wide array of media; television, radio, movies, billboards, Internet, etc. Media influence is impossible to avoid and has an unquestionably significant effect on our society. Shared values, personal consumption, and public policy are only a few of the social dimensions affected by the media. As a result of the media‟s increasingly significant impact, media studies continuously gain gravity. One of the most prevalent subjects of media discourse is crime. Crime is represented in many different media categories from entertainment to news and intermediate forms such as infotainment. While entertainment media doubtlessly have a significant socializing effect, they generally do not claim to be a true representation of reality. However, news media do make this claim (Mason, 2006; Surette, 2003). Despite this, studies show that when it comes to crime, media representations do not accurately reflect reality (Surette, 2003). Additionally, crime news is one of the most prominent categories in news media; it is covered disproportionately more than other social problems (Leishman & Mason,
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