NCJ Number
115888
Journal
Social Science Quarterly Volume: 69 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1988) Pages: 910-929
Date Published
1988
Length
20 pages
Annotation
Coverage of common crime (e.g., burglary and homicide) and elite crime (e.g., price fixing and food and drug violations) on the three major network news programs over a 13-year period is content analyzed.
Abstract
The findings reveal the lack of a longitudinal pattern in crime coverage, an emphasis on the more dramatic early states of the criminal justice process, greater media attention to common crime, and a basic 'sameness' in the way the different networks present the news. It is argued that this 'marketable portrayal' of crime in network news not only helps shape public definition of the crime problem but can impact public policy as well. (Author abstract)