Is the Nature of Crime Accurately Presented by the Media? Discuss

In this essay I will discuss way in which the nature of crime is presented through different forms of media. Crime is defined as those behaviours which are punishable by law. Crime is broken down into categories for statistical purposes. These categories include violent crime, property crime, cybercrime, drug crime and fraud and deception related crime. The media, consisting of the internet, television, radio and newspapers, must choose which stories to highlight in their reporting. It would be impossible for media outlets to report every incidence of crime that occurred. The media focuses on what will sell papers, give the best ratings or receive the most number of hits. People in the community generally overestimate the level of crime and the media is thought to be at least partially responsible for this.

There is great concern that the types of and level of crime reported presents a warped view of the real level of crime. Violent crime such as murder, assault, sexual assault and kidnapping or abduction, according to statistics retrieved from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research actually have either remained stable or decreased in recorded percentages in NSW. Property crime such as motor vehicle theft, break and enter, property theft, shoplifting and bag snatching have also remained stable or decreased in recorded incidences. Cybercrime, including viruses, trojans and worm infections, laptop theft and system abuse is on the increase; however that can be directly attributed to the sheer number of people using the internet for their everyday needs such as banking and shopping. Statistical data is still being formulated in this area as it is a relatively new category of crime. Drug crime involves both consumers