Crime Victims and the Media

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Recommended: what is the media influence on the public perceptions of crime

Introduction

The media’s job is to entertain, inform, and educate society on what is going on around the world. The media entertains society by reporting stories that amuse people. The educational function of the media is about allowing society to know their legal rights. The informational aspect of the media does not need to be explained; it is self-explanatory. Within the last three decades, the media’s role has changed dramatically. The media went from using telegraphs, post offices, newspapers, magazines, radio, and television to using cell phones and tablets. In the modern era, which is also sometimes referred to as the information age, global networking and global communication have shaped modern societies. The majority of Americans need information all the time for socializing and making decision. Americans never seem to think that the information given to them could be wrong. In Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (English Standard version).

Why can the media report stories in the fashion that they do and how does it interact with citizen rights?

The media covers all stories good, bad, or indifferent. Mass media earned a bad reputation for giving out confidential information, or too much information when covering a story. The first amendment of the United States constitution states:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances” (Cornell University Law School, 1992).

The first amendment protects the media from government int...

... middle of paper ...

... reporting these types of stories, it allows the public to trust them because they believe they have their best interests at heart. By being invasive when crimes happen in and around neighborhoods and not allowing people to have privacy, the media makes the public believe that they are only out to report stories and could care less about how people feel. That is why it is important that the media follows their code of ethics to make people feel safe and feel like human being.

References

Champion, D. (2007). Crime Prevention in America. Upper Saddle River, NJ. Pearson Education.

Cornell University Law School. (1992). First Amendment. Retrieved from http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/first_amendment

Greer, C. (ND). News, Media, Victims and Crime. Retrieved from http://www.uk.sagepub.com/stout/greer_news_media%20-%20vic_crime_soc.pdf

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