Stats and Reporting

• Media over-represent violent and sexual crime 

  → Ditton and Duffy 1983: 46% of media reports about violent or sexual crimes yet 3% of official statistics 

  → Marsh 1991: American media, violent crime 36X more likely reported than property crimes 
• Media portrays criminals and victims as older and more middle class 

  → Felson 1998: criminals older and more middle class example of ‘age fallacy’ 
• Media exaggerate the risk of victimisation 

  -->

  Especially to women, white people and higher status people
• Crime reported as a series of separate events 

  --> Without structure and without examining underlying causes
• → Felson 1998: ‘dramatic fallacy’ and criminals appear daring and clever → ‘Ingenuity fallacy’Media overplay extraordinary crimes