The media and crime have an interesting relationship. These days, it’s hard to turn on the news without hearing about some crime happening somewhere. In fact, there are even reporters assigned to cover certain courts or police departments to report on the latest crimes. It is well known that the publicity surrounding certain crimes or court cases can even spur a rash of “copycat crimes.” In addition to crimes that are reported on in the news and in the paper, there are also plenty of TV shows about crimes. From the TV show “COPS” to the investigative drama series “CSI,” it’s clear that crime makes for entertaining TV. Do we actually love violence? If the media is any indication, we do!

If you watch the news, you’ve probably noticed that crimes are happening everywhere, in every city. Sensational headlines make for good TV and sell thousands of newspapers, but is so much coverage of crimes on TV serving to desensitize us to the truth, so that we no longer question why crimes are occurring all around us and have come to believe that it’s just part of normal daily life?

Is the violence on TV just harmless entertainment? That question remains controversial. Some psychologists even think that such shows are playing a role in increasing violence in the real world. Not only are there copycat crimes influenced by what is shown, but more and more people are watching violence and crime on TV and become to think of it as normal and commonplace. There are currently many studies being done on whether exposure to media violence, whether it’s the nightly news or a violent video game, can increase aggression and violence in young people.

Whether you watch the nightly news show, or sit down to watch a crime-scene drama, you aren’t getting a realistic picture of how crimes occur. All too often, these shows highlight what’s been done to catch the bad guy. If all of your knowledge of crime comes from the media, you might believe that perpetrators of every crime are quickly caught using high-tech DNA testing and other technologies, but this is far from the case. In fact, if you are attacked on the street and there are no leads, there is a good possibility that the perpetrator will never be caught. That’s something that no TV show will ever tell you. Never do you see the stress and anxiety faced by the victims of these crimes for months, years, and even a lifetime following a violent crime.

No matter its exact effect, it is doubtless that crime in the media affects our mindset. Consider the college student carrying pepper spray after listening to a news clip about a recent rash of crime on campus, or the housewife who avoids shopping alone at night because of a recent string of carjackings. This response is certainly understandable. The media constantly publicizes the “bad” news of the day, making it seems as if crime is on the rise across the board. Whether this is true or not, it certainly serves as a powerful reminder that crime does exist, and that we must be prepared for it, lest we become the next victim mourned on the local news.

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Category: Society
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