Zamzam Faiz

1036 Words3 Pages

Rentschler, C. A. (2007). Victims' rights and the struggle over crime in the media. Canadian Journal of Communication, 32(2), 219-239.

This journal article discussed the visibility of crime victims in the media. It represented that families of victims need time to grieve and mourn after a murder but media tends to harass them causing them to relive the moments of distress. The success of the victims’ rights movement has allowed victims to be seen as victims instead of sources of information and a target for media. National Center for Victims of Crime has helped victims when it came to story telling in the media. For example children reading irrelevant or false negative characteristics about their parents on the news would have an influence on them. The organization provides assistance in attaining the correct information of events without bashing the victim and affecting their families. The article continues to illustrate the importance of privacy and understanding the emotional state of families and the effects that media has on them.

Soothill, K., Walby, S., & Bagguley, P. (1990). Judges, the media, and rape. Journal of Law and Society, 17(2), 211-233.

This article focuses on the influence of judges on the media and the affects on the victims. There have been many cases where judges have made sexual attacks and sexist comments discriminating rape victims. Often these comments have been broadcasted in the news or have been the headlines of articles. The power of men over women is strongly portrayed through not only the rape but also the understanding of the problem. The judge’s sexist comments towards the rape influences the opinions of the public because they are seen as experts. The reports would not help the public underst...

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...Gays, lesbians and transsexuals tend to be reported less and if they are, there are often negative comments surrounding them (J, 2001). This is similar to when females get raped. The blame is upon the victim rather than the offender (Soothill et al. 1990). The media also determines what type of crime is considered serious. This has an impact on victims because they may feel that their victimization should be taken more serious than what media has projected (Gebotys, 1988)
Further research should illustrate what specific type of attention from the media would be beneficial for the public but still respects the victim’s privacy. There should also be more attention towards how to protect victims and decrease media discrimination. This is significant because media a part of our daily lives; being that so, it is important to be aware of the impacts it may have on victim.

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