...Assess sociological explanations of the role of the mass media in creating moral panics about crime and deviance: A moral panic is the process of arousing social concern over an issue, this is often an exaggerated over-reaction by society to a perceived problem, which is usually driven or inspired by the media. In this situation the reaction ends up amplifying the problem out of proportion to its real seriousness. This creates anxiety amongst the general population, and this therefore puts pressure on the agents of social control to deal with the problem, who then act accordingly to the group responsible for the panic. There is a strong relationship between mass media and crime. On average, around 30% of newspaper content is dedicated to crime, however it can be debated whether this news is true because the media exaggerate the truth in order to publish a newsworthy story. The mass media are heavily involved in creating moral panics about crime and deviance in society. According to Cohen, the mass media play a vital role in the societal reaction to crime and deviance. He suggests that moral panics have a number of stages, in which the media label certain groups, in order to maximise profit. Firstly, the media use exaggerated language and headlines when reporting on a particular event that has occurred and use follow-up articles, in which they identify this event as a social problem. Whereby ‘folk devils’ are created (Goode and Ben-Yehuda: 1994). Folk devils are over simplified...
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...6/8/12 What are moral panics? What are 'moral panics'? Hayley Burns If we do not take steps to preserve the purity of blood, the Jew will destroy civilisation by poisoning us all. (Hitler, 1938) Surely if the human race is under threat, it is entirely reasonable to segregate AIDS victims, otherwise the whole of mankind could be engulfed. (The Daily Star, 2 December 1988) Although an extreme illustration, the above quotes serve to set up the creation of a 'moral panic'. Just as Hitler's 'facts' were unfounded, so too were The Daily Star and what resulted from both incidents was, in effect, the persecution of two minority groups within society. Hitler's quote stemmed from the use of propaganda, and although it would be fair to say that the essence of what is termed 'propaganda' does not exist in such a force today, it is nevertheless evident that what was quoted from The Daily Star is tantamount to propaganda. Throughout history, the mass media industry has been utilised as a tool to appeal to the public at large, particularly in the field of politics, where people in a position of power can tempt society into believing what they want them to believe. As Eldridge describes "The media, wittingly or unwittingly, reproduce the definitions of the powerful." [Eldridge 1997: 65] This document will examine not only the essence and origin of the term 'moral panic' but the very important nature of the media's involvement in the whole process of creating a 'moral panic'. It was Stanley...
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...growing urbanization (παγκοσμιοποίηση) it is necessary to rely on media to find out what has been happening in the world. As in the majority few people are vi ctims of serious crime, images of offending are formed in the majority of the people from the mass media! (MME) : newspapers, books, magazines, TV, radio, etc… Does Media have Legal Constraints? (Περιορισμοί)? Τhere is a difference between: • Broadcasting (μετάδωση): Section 6 of Broadcasting Acts requires impartiality (αντικειμενικότητα) in the reporting of news and political matters • But in the Press (εφημερίδα) there is no such a legal obligation! Written media can published more/less what it wants subject to the Law of Libel (δυσφήμιση) and some specific prohibitions. (example: Official Secret Act which prohibits press from publishing sensitive informations. Sources of the media’s information on crime • Police (The police still provide the bulk of the material in crime reporters. Because of their big influence manipulation (χειρισμός) of the media has now become a big part in policing!) • Home Office (Press Office) • The Legal Profession • The Prison Officer’s Association • Academics Selection of Crime News The journalist and editor play the central role as to how a story is formulated and presented in a newspaper! They select their stories in a subjective basis in accordance with the newspaper agenda! In his book “Law and Order News” Steve Ghibnall listed some criteria as guides to the construction...
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...the truth in order to have a “newsworthy” story. Often it is the case that the media will play an important role in what Durkheim would say is maintaining the boundaries of society, reaffirming what is socially acceptable, and what is not. Durkheim would also say that all change starts with deviance, and the media highlighting this deviance on the world stage helps to excite and increase the rate of social change, which as suggested in the item, can lead to changes in law. Examples of this have been seen with public displays of homosexuality in countries where homosexual marriage is illegal, or disallowed. This kind of deviance is picked up by the media, and projected on a world stage in the name of news, and appeals to the world’s sense of equality and liberalism. So, while Functionalists would say the news plays an important function in society as a tool to catalyst social change, others would argue that it actually victimises a lot of people. This is seen with Cohen’s work on Folk Devils and Moral panics, in which a person with new norms, values or morals- or even all three, comes along and challenges societies accepted ones. This kind of challenge is met harshly and the new group, or person, is outcasted. They’re cut off from society as a folk devil and victimised for being different. This was seen in the study of the Drug Takers by Jock Young. However while the mass media show interest in crime they give a distorted image of crime, criminals, and policing. For example compared...
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...Media Representation of crime William and Dickinson (1971) found British newspapers devote 30% of their space to crime Media gives a distorted image of crime, criminals and policing compared to official statistics. The media: Over representation of violent and sexual crime Ditton and Duffy (1983) found 46% of media reports were about sexual or violent crime, compared to the actual 3% of crime records for this kind of crime. Marsh found violent crimes were 36 times more likely to be recorded in newspapers than property crime- America Media portray criminals and victims as older and more middle class Felson (1998) calls this the ‘age fallacy’ Media exaggerate police success Partly due to media covering violent crime a lot, which has a higher clean up rate than property crime Media exaggerate risk of vctimisation Especially to women, white people and higher status people Crime is reported as a series of separate events Without examining underlying causes or structure The media overplay extraordinary crime Felson- ‘dramatic fallacy’ and ‘ingenuity fallacy’; media portray crime as hard to commit and you need intelligence to commit crime There is evidence to show that media coverage of crime in the media is changing. Schlesinger and Tumber (1994) found that in the 1960s the focus had been on murders and petty crime, but by 1990 murder and petty crime were of less crime to the media. Change had occurred due to the abolition of the death penalty, and rising crime rates...
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...A moral panic is a feeling of fear spread among a large number of people that some evil threatens the well-being of society.[1][2] A Dictionary of Sociology defines a moral panic as "the process of arousing social concern over an issue – usually the work of moral entrepreneurs and the mass media."[3] The media are key players in the dissemination of moral indignation, even when they do not appear to be consciously engaged in crusading or muckraking. Simply reporting the facts can be enough to generate concern, anxiety, or panic.[4]:16 Examples include the belief in widespread abduction of children by predatory pedophiles,[5] belief in ritual abuse by satanic cults of women and children,[6] scaremongering of the spread of AIDS,[7] and the War on Drugs.[8] Contents [hide] 1 Use as a social science term 1.1 British vs American 2 Characteristics 3 Examples 3.1 2000s: Human trafficking 3.2 1990s–present: Sex offenders 3.3 1980s–1990s: Satanic ritual abuse 3.4 1980s–1990s: Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 1980s–present: AIDS 3.6 1970s–present: Video games and violence 3.7 1970s–present: Crime increase 3.8 1970s–present: War on drugs 4 Criticism 5 Other 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External links Use as a social science term[edit] Marshall McLuhan gave the term academic treatment in his book Understanding Media, written in 1964.[9] According to Stanley Cohen, author of a sociological study about youth culture and media called Folk Devils and Moral Panics...
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...The media tends to focus its gaze on the crimes of the powerless and neglects those of the powerful: discuss. Today’s news society is so diverse and challenging, that many and nearly all contemporary issues receive daily coverage by all façades of the media. Some of the most highly debated and discussed coverage topics, including drugs, violence and crime reporting have taken over in incessant media reporting. Criminology without a doubt is obsessed with the crimes of the powerless at the expenses of the crimes of the powerful. “Law governs the poor and rich rules the law” (Criminology in Pakistan, 2011) intensely portrays the separation in the selective procedure of law to the advantage of certain sections without respect to others. A study of the criminology literature generates a possible outcome that much more emphasis has been placed on the crimes, committed by the marginalized groups and individuals (thus the poor), than those perpetrated by the powerful. In this essay, we will try to analyse how far this notion is true, and if true what are the reasons for this uneven approach on the part of the criminologists. Marxists and critical criminologists argue that traditional criminology focus on the ‘crimes of the streets’ and ignores ‘crimes of the suits’, committed by big businesses. Before moving on to analyse the situation let us have a look at various categories of offences committed by the powerless and the ones executed by the powerful. Assault...
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...Mediating Mark Duggan The press is a section of the mass media industry that focuses on presenting current news to the public and is one of the largest forms of media we have in Britain. The press and media in general insist that it is only fact and truth that is reported to the public, however, there are times when the media either permits itself to be manipulated or to act as the agent of manipulation; seemingly, we as the public, receive the opinions of the few, select people that are running the mass media who use the power of mediation to position audience response through encoded values with the media acting as an opinion leader (2-step flow). Mark Duggan was shot by armed police in Tottenham, August 2011, after officers stopped the cab he was in to make an arrest. Duggan was unarmed at the time yet just hours later stories were circulating the media about a dramatic ‘shootout’ with Duggan represented as a ‘violent gangster’. Within just two days of his death, riots had erupted in London as well as copycat riots in other cities up and down the country and reported globally by the press. Before getting out of hand, the riots were a direct response to the actions of the police. Mark Duggan didn’t hit the front page until after the riots had begun and it is likely that, similar to the case of Stephen Lawrence, the audience will never fully know the reality of the initial event. The final inquest report (2014) ruled that the killing was lawful. Looking back on the newspaper...
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...relationship between the police and the mass media have long been the subject of intense debate. The mass media and the police have different roles in the public eye causing the media to be of concern to the police. Historically and in the contemporary era the police have had to meet high expectations of being the public’s crime-fighter. It is the police’s role to prevent crime, maintain order and protect the public (Carrabine, 2009) whilst, the media fulfil a role that is supposed to challenge the state institutions on behalf of the public. Media handling in serious crime investigations is a complex issue. On the one hand, they provide the public with access to information and help generate important information for an enquiry. For example, since its first broadcast in 1984, Crimewatch UK has sought help and information from the public in order to solve crime (Carter and Branston et al., 2002). On the other hand, the media can mislead the public and interfere with the investigative legal processes. As a whole the media plays a critical role in shaping the public’s views by exposing corruption and the activities of the powerful and of agencies of control such as the police (Croall, 2005). More to the point the media are there to maximise audience revenue to get money and to entertain via means of print, audio, visual and social media. Whereas, the police are the primary protection for the public for fears of crime and disorder. These conflicting roles both agencies hold within society...
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...ARTICLES Sociology o Sport Journal, 1998, 15, 1-20 f O 1998 Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc. "Disciplining the Body": HIV-Positive Male Athletes, Media Surveillance,and the Policing of Sexuality Shari Lee Dworkin and Faye Linda Wachs University of Southern California This paper analyzes how mainstream print media polices sexuality through framings of HIV-positive male athletes. We analyze the HN-positive announcements of Magic Johnson, Greg Louganis, and Tommy Morrison. Specifically, we discuss differences between the framing of gay men (Louganis) and self-identifiedheterosexual men (Johnson and Morrison). First, there is an extensive search for the ways Magic Johnson and Tommy Morrison contracted HIVIAIDS. Media coverage emphasizes that "straights can get it too" through promiscuity and a "fast lane" lifestyle. Consistent with the historically automatic conflation of HIVIAIDS with gay identity, the media pose no inquiries into the cause of Louganis' HIV transmission. We close our discussion by focusing on the meaning of extending the signifier of HIVIAIDS beyond gay bodies to include working class and black male bodies. Media surveillance of sexual identity and the body reinforces hegemonic masculinity in sport while feeding into the current sexual hierarchy in U.S. culture. Cette Ctude porte sur la f a ~ o n les mCdias Ccrits surveillent et contr6lent la sexualit6 par dont le biais de leur traitement des athlktes masculins skro-positifs.Nous analysons les annonces de skro-positivitk...
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...Functionalism, strain and Subcultural theories Durkheim’s functionalist theory Functionalism – society based on value consensus. Members of society sharing common culture. In order to achieve this, two things needed: - Socialisation – helps ensure individuals share the same norms and values. Shows the way to act. - Social control – rewards for conformity and punishment for deviance. Controls behaviour. Inevitability of crime – functionalists see crime as inevitable and universal. Every society has crime. Two reasons why crime and deviance are in all societies: - No everyone is equally socialized into norms and values. Some are likely to be deviant. - Diversity of lifestyle and values. Different groups have their own subcultures with distinctive norms and values. Some may see deviant acts as normal. > Durkheim says in modern societies there is tendency towards anomie. The rules for behaviour become weaker and less clear-cut. This is because modern societies have a complex division of labour meaning individuals become more different from each other. Crime is more likely. Positive functions of crime – it also performs two positive functions Boundary maintenance - produces a reaction from society, uniting members in disapproval of criminals and reinforcing their commitment to shared norms and values. Adaptation and change – all change starts with an act of deviance. There must be scope to challenge existing norms and values and this will seem deviant in the...
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...Crime and Deviance AN INTRODUCTION TO CRIME AND DEVIANCE Definitions * Crime- An act which breaks the criminal laws of society. * Deviance- refers to the behaviour which is disapproved of by most people in society and which does not conform to society's norms and values. TOPIC 1: FUNCTIONALIST, STRAIN AND SUBCULTURAL THEORIES Durkheim's functionalist theory: * Socialisation and Social control are two key mechanisms which allow social solidarity to occur in society. The inevitability of crime: * Functionalists see too much crime as destabilising society. * They also see crime as inevitable and universal- Durkheim, 'crime is normal... an integral part of all healthy societies.' * There are two reasons why C&D are found in all societies; 1.Not everyone is equally effectively socialised into the shared norms and values. 2. Different groups develop their own subculture and what the members of the subculture regard as normal, mainstream culture may see as deviant. * Durkheim also discusses that in modern societies there is a tendency towards anomie (normlessness). The diversity of modern societies means that the collective conscience is weakened, and this results in higher levels of C&D. The positive functions of crime: * For Durkheim, crime also fulfils two important functions; boundary maintenance and adaptation. * Boundary Maintenance- In Durkheim's view, the purpose of punishment is to reaffirm society's shared rules and reinforces...
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...7 Psychological Considerations and Sociological Effects 9 Cultural Context and Media Influence 11 Environmental Implications 20 Moral and Ethical Implications 20 Conclusions 21 References 22 Appendices 0 Abstract This report is about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), It will explain what the technology is, how it developed from the observation of pea plants by a humble gardener at a monastery in Czechoslovakia in the middle of the 19th century to become the science of genetic engineering. The report will examine the influences the technology of GMOs has had on the political and legal systems where they have been introduced and how those political and legal systems are trying to reach some agreement on how to best use this technology. The report discusses the economic questions and implications, the psychological considerations, sociological effects, and the environmental, moral and ethical implications of genetically modified organisms. This report will also explain how the media has influenced the acceptance of some GMOs and the rejection of other and examine this technology and its cultural context. Connection to Technology and Science The emerging science/ technology of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is a controversial subject raising social and cultural questions along with moral and ethical issues. Definition of Technology The question as to whether genetically modifying organisms is a science or a technology can...
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...MASS MEDIA EFFECTS In partial fulfillment of the requirements of Theories of Communication (LAC 701) A paper prepared by Group Four John Fasisi (91817) Kalim Gazal (136615) Moyofade Ipadeola (95580) Nwachukwu Egbunike (147181) Oluwaseun Oti (168137) Seyi Bodunde (168139) Victor Eze (167521) And submitted to: Professor F. A. Adesanoye Department of Communication and Language Arts Faculty of Arts University of Ibadan November 27, 2012 ABSTRACT This literature-driven study examined mass media effects. The work peered into the history of the ‘powerful media’. An in-depth review of relevant theories of mass media effects was analyzed. Findings pointed towards both positive and negative impacts of mass media. However, there was no empirical evidence to substantiate a direct cause and effect relationship of mass media messages with the actions of the consumer of the information. Consequently we can only assert that the mass media impacts on society but does not necessarily have an effect since other factors also influence people other than information consumed from the media. As such, this study asserts that the mass media influences public opinion but does not necessarily cause it. Key words: powerful media, mass media effects, theories of mass media effects, impact of media messages INTRODUCTION The mass media involve organisations that are responsible for the dissemination of information to a large number of people. Basically, the mass media...
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...Crime and Deviance Revision SCLY 4: Crime and Deviance with Methods in Context Sociology Department Greenhead College SCLY 4: Crime and Deviance with Methods in Context Remember: You have to revise everything, because you have no choice on the exam paper. The specification 1 Different theories of crime, deviance, social order and social control * Different definitions of crime, deviance, social order and social control * The distinction between sociological theories of crime and other theories (eg biological, psychological); crime and deviance as socially constructed * Functionalist theories of crime: Durkheim, anomie, collective conscience; Merton’s strain theory; manifest and latent functions; functionalist subcultural theories * Marxist and neo-Marxist theories of crime: classical Marxism, laws reflecting class interests; Neo-Marxism, hegemony, the CCCS studies, critical and new criminology * Interactionist theories of crime: labelling theory, the self-fulfilling prophecy * Feminist theories of crime: patriarchy, male control of women’s lives * Control theory and other contemporary approaches to crime: social bonds, communitarianism, situational prevention; postmodern theories; Foucault on individualisation and surveillance * Realist theories: New Left Realism and Right Realism * The relevance of the various theories to understanding different types of crime, and their implications for social policy. 2 The social distribution...
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