How do the mass media represent crime and why? What effect do the media representations of crime have on society? If you see this man, don’t approach him; he is dangerous. Call 999 instead.

Starter 1. Write down a list of anything you can remember about crime and the media – theory, names of Sociologists, key concepts, etc. 2. Swap with a partner. Read what the other person has written and add any of your ideas that the previous person didn’t write.

Possible ideas... Mods and Rockers – two youth groups. Fight in a sea-side town. Media exaggerated the fight. Stan Cohen is a sociologist who researched the incident. Media represented Mods and Rockers as folk devils by exaggerating the fight. This caused deviancy amplification - more fights between the Mods and Rockers. This caused a moral panic in society about young people.

Objectives To outline how the media represent crime both in factual programmes and in fiction. To outline how the media can cause an increase in crime through its representations of events. To practice answering short mark exam questions on this topic.

Media representations of crime A lot of the media output appears to be ‘crime obsessed’: o 30% of all British newspaper coverage is about crime. o 60% of all crime reports are about violent crime, yet only 5% of all crime in Britain is violent crime. o Fictional TV programmes and films use crime as a key theme. o Computer games have a high percentage of criminal content. Therefore, the picture of crime painted by the media is a large exaggeration. This is because violent crime is more newsworthy as it meets the criteria set out by news values. However, the effect of this on society is negative as it causes fear of crime, moral panic and deviancy amplification.

Task 1 Watch the clip and make notes. (start at 25 seconds)

Task 2 Match the key terms with their definitions. Moral panic Deviancy amplification Folk devil This is an increase in crime caused by the exaggerated way in which the media represent certain events. This is a group in society which is seen as a threat to social order as a result of being stereotyped by the media. This is an over-reaction and a concern by the public about a group or events in society because of the way the media portrays them.

Task 3 Arrange the boxes in the correct order on the white board as a class to show how media representations of events can cause deviancy amplification (increase in crime) and a moral panic (irrational fear of crime).

A small group of people commit an act, e.g. a teenager is stabbed in a fight. They get involved in more fighting and more stabbings occur. This is deviancy amplification – an increase in crime as a result of the way in which it was reported by the media. The group who committed the act, e.g. teenagers, is labelled as folk devils – a threat to society. The media report these events in an even more exaggerated way. The media report the event in an exaggerated and sensationalist manner. This leads to more policing of this type of crime, e.g. the police stop and search more and more teenagers. The self-fulfilling prophecy happens and teenagers start to think of themselves as knife- wielding troublemakers. A moral panic develops – teenagers are seen as a social problem and a threat to social order. The group who committed the act, e.g. teenagers, is labelled as folk devils – a threat to society.

A small group of people commit an act, e.g. a teenager is stabbed in a fight. The media report the event in an exaggerated and sensationalist manner. The group who committed the act, e.g. teenagers, is labelled as folk devils – a threat to society. The self-fulfilling prophecy happens and teenagers start to think of themselves as knife-wielding troublemakers. They get involved in more fighting and more stabbings occur. This is deviancy amplification – an increase in crime as a result of the way in which it was reported by the media. The media report these events in an even more exaggerated way. A moral panic develops – teenagers are seen as a social problem and a threat to social order. This leads to more policing of this type of crime, e.g. the police stop and search more and more teenagers.

Task 4 Work in pairs. Read the answer to the exam question on the next slide and mark it out of 4 marks. Identify anything you think is good or bad about it.

Exam answer marking Explain what sociologists mean by a ‘moral panic’. (4 marks) A moral panic is a public fear of crime that results from the media’s exaggerated reporting of a social problem or a social issue. Cohen argued that the media coverage of clashed between Mods and Rockers in the 1960s led to a moral panic or a public outcry. The media’s distortion of events created a moral panic by portraying Mods and Rockers as folk devils or a threat to social order. More recent moral panics have been created by the media about hoodies, teen gangs, etc. + A clear definition – describes why it’s a panic, why it’s moral and that it’s caused by the media reporting. + Names the sociologist who came up with the theory. + Gives an example of the relevant study. + Uses other relevant key concepts. + Gives a contemporary example / evidence. - It’s too long and should be more to the point. 4/4

Task 5 Work on your own to answer this exam question: 1. Describe one way in which the media may report crime and explain how this can influence our views on how much crime there is in society. (5 marks) One way in which the media may report crime is.... For example,.... This can influence our views on how much crime there is because....

What are the mass media? Technological advances affecting the mass media The consumption of the mass media - newspaper readership, TV watching and the Internet Mass media representations of ethnic groups Mass media and crime What effect do the media have on its audience? How do the mass media act as agents of socialisation? Who owns the mass media? - Theories on the mass media Mass media representations of gender Contemporary media related issues such as violence Revision and end of Topic exam question How can media develop people’s political views? How is the content of the media created? What influence has the development of the internet got over the distribution of power within the media?

Home learning Revise the Mass Media topic for the End of Topic mock exam.

Review Write down your favourite 3 facts about the Mass Media topic.