Throughout the twentieth century, the relationship between the criminal justice
system and the media system has been the topic of research, analysis, and
debate. Neither the media nor the criminal justice system can function properly
without the other. The criminal justice system serves as a resource for the
media by providing one of the most popular sources of news and entertainment
stories.
Understanding the connections between wrongdoing and also the media is
critical to comprehending the social position that wrongdoing and media occupy
in our social world. This section will be dealing with an introduction to the
study of misconduct and media. I intend to provide an overview of the friendly
issues and talks that have shaped the role of media in criminal justice system.
Media In Criminology
Many media researchers agree that media violence has an impact on aggression,
however the impact on violence is less evident. While no scientific discipline
has reached perfect agreement, a study performed found that more than 90% of
paediatricians and almost two-thirds of media researchers asked agreed that
violent video games increase aggression in children.[1] Years of research have
shown that the influence of TV violence on children leads to the unavoidable
conclusion that witnessing media violence is associated to increases in violent
attitudes, values, and behaviours, psychologist John Murray stated in 2008.[2]
The New York Daily News released a report about a "potential copycat" crime a
week after the Aurora shooting. After making threatening phone calls to his job,
a man was apprehended in his Maryland home. According to the post, the suspect
said, "I am a [sic] joker" and "I'm going to load my firearms and shoot
everybody up." Police discovered "a lethal armoury of 25 firearms and thousands
of rounds of ammunition" at the suspect's residence during their search.[3]
Though criminologists are typically sceptical that those who commit violent
crimes are primarily motivated by media violence, there does appear to be some
evidence that media may influence how some offenders commit crime. Ray Surette,
a criminologist, discovered in his research of significant and violent juvenile
offenders that "approximately one out of every three juveniles claims having
considered a copycat crime and about one out of every four reports actually
having attempted one" [4]
Simply put, neither the media nor the criminal justice system can function
properly without the other. What proportion of wrongdoing is out there, what
forms of misconduct are commonly expected, who is most at risk, and what are the
best reactions - all of this is derived mostly from sources, on the other hand,
personal experience. The media is the most prominent of these. The media is an
important source of 'knowledge' on wrongdoing, upheaval, and power.
Photos of
heinous wrongdoing, for example, may repel some while attracting others,
upsetting some while energising others, alarming some while anger others.
Readers are encouraged to look beyond their natural desire to deal with advanced
subjects with work on records and guesses. The relationship between media images
and our general environment is remarkable. As a result, nailing down is
mind-boggling and difficult.
Image and portrayal now invade all aspects of social presence- "Regulators of
the media investigate and support social and political concerns. Given the close
interdependence of the political, business, and financial means of wrongdoing
and problem, it's a minor miracle that it includes so prominently across all
media and markets[5]." The need of comprehending the relationships between
"criminology and the media" becomes more concrete as the borders between truth
and fiction grow increasingly diffuse and uncertain.
Conclusion
Although criminologists frequently deny a "violent media cause violence" link,
they do not ignore the idea of media influence. On the contrary, much
criminological interest has been focused over the decades on the construction of
social problems, the ideological implications of media, and the potential impact
of media on crime policies and social control.[6]
To avoid the spread of incorrect information, social media platforms are
accountable for monitoring and regulating user accounts. The censorship of
incorrect information must take precedence over the free exchange of knowledge.
As a result, incorrect information has caused significant harm to the victims
concerned, and it is impossible to undo the damage; consequently, it is
preferable to avoid and monitor the dissemination of such information rather
than cope with the repercussions.
Furthermore, social media platforms must act
as moral police for their platforms to ensure that they are not abused at the
expense of the public good. Social media managers must guarantee that their
platforms satisfy their initial aims and objectives.
The line between infringing
on free speech rights and guaranteeing misleading information should be
established where rights and liberties are utilised to inflict harm and
discomfort to others. In this sense, when other parties' rights are infringed
and denied in the name of other parties exercising their rights, a criminal
component emerges.
End-Notes:
- Bushman, 2016
- Murray, 2008, p. 1212
- McShane, 2012
- Surette, 2002, pp. 56, 63; Surette 2011
- GRABER, D. Crime, News and the Public. New York: Prager,1980
- Ferrell, Hayward, & Young, 2015, pp. 154�155
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