Can Crime Coverage in the Media Influence Offending?

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Can Crime Coverage in the Media Influence Offending?

 Crime is defined as any action constituting to an offence and subjects one into punishment by law (Agnew & Messner, 2015). With the advancement in technology, many people are very active in social media in which they learn and receive different kinds of information, including criminal matters. Therefore, media being a source of crucial crime-related information influences in offending. 

The question was deconstructed into parts and a search of the terms 'media AND crime AND offending' was executed. To provide only the most recent sources, the search was limited to article written between (2007 and 2020).  Reliability of the data was ensured by targeting search for peer reviewed article journal.

Grosholz, & Kubrin (2007) viewed media as very crucial avenues for disseminating crime-related information which consequently influences offending. They argued that persons consume news from a variety of forms such as radios, newspaper and televisions. Still, most of the people do not understand that some of the media are biased in construction and reporting of news stories. The perceivers of media crimes see how the culprits of different crimes are taken through dehumanizing fact-finding judgement process (Grosholz, & Kubrin, (2007). The researchers further asserted that apart from the media being a lucrative avenue of reporting crimes, they also offer programs that educate people the different kind of crimes and how committing such crimes can endanger one's life. Through such news reporting and crime-related educative programs, media influence crime and offending because people are aware of the inherent consequences if they engage in such offences and hence they refrain. News media furnish people with a clear understanding of what constitutes a crime and what does not, thus offences are minimized in society.

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