NCJ Number
199487
Journal
Judicial Explorations (Justitele Verkenningen) Volume: 6 Issue: 2 Dated: July/August 2002 Pages: 8-28
Date Published
July 2002
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the history of the discord between media and the criminal justice system.
Abstract
The historical account of the relationship between the media and the criminal justice system begins in the era of denominationalism when there was a degree of trust between these two institutions. The media was regarded as a vehicle through which to spread information to the public. The facts were reported. The 1970’s saw the professionalization of the journalism industry. As a result, the media began to take a more critical view of the justice system, but still mainly just reported on the facts of particular cases. All this changed during the 1980’s when crime and justice issues entered the arena of national politics as an issue worth debating. Throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s, media reporting became more investigative rather than a mere recitation of the facts, leading to competition between themselves and the justice system for the most timely information. The trust that had existed between the media and the justice system deteriorated as the media began to view itself as the protector of the constitutional state and increasingly played a role in both the investigation and administration of justice. The authors assert that the division between the public and the justice system occurred because there was little room within the justice system for the victim. The media stepped into this void and gave voice to the victims through news shows, talk shows, and interviews. The authors question whether the media is simply responding to stories of interest in terms of crime and justice or if the media is, in fact, creating an interest in crime and justice.