Media's Unfavorable Presentation of Crime: A Historical Perspective - Essay Sample

Introduction

The media plays a significant role in the reporting of crimes in the United States and other parts of the world. However, for a long time, it is said that the media uses unfavorable approaches when reporting most of the crimes (Mastrorocco & Minale, 2018). The news often focusses on emotional aspects instead of presenting the real facts. Moreover, the media primarily concentrates on the negative elements of crimes of specific communities.

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A Description of The Crime in Its Historical Setting

For a long time now, many cases of the shooting and killing of unarmed black men have been reported and recorded in the police database in the United States. For example, 2015 alone recorded the highest number of murdered black men in the country by police officers (Moore et al., 2018). The police shooting database contains a record of every fatal shooting that occurs nationwide by police officers on duty (Moore et al., 2018). Apart from the police, there have been several other cases of armed white civilians shooting and killing unarmed black men in the street, leading to long court trials and convictions.

An example of a case that was significantly televised and influenced by the media was the George Zimmerman case of 2013. George was a neighborhood watch leader who shot and killed a young black teen in a gated community in Florida in 2012. Zimmerman was not charged at first, but after many protests, the perpetrator was charged with murder in April 2012. The case was nationally televised, 50 witnesses testified, and the jury found Zimmerman not guilty of second-degree murder.

The media heavily covered the story in the following weeks after the verdict was given. MSNBC and Fox news were very vocal regarding the case, and various programs like Politics Nation, Ed show, and Last Word initiated discussions regarding Zimmerman-Martin's case after the accused was exonerated of his murder charges.

The reporting of the crime could have been significantly affected by the many incidents that were reported before due to the distrust of the American judicial systems. In the past, many black victims did not receive justice in court due to various reasons. For instance, when the police beat motorist Rodney King, the former was found not guilty despite the overwhelming evidence that was presented in court (Moore et al., 2018). In another case, Amadou Diallo, an African American immigrant, was shot by white policemen forty-one times despite being unarmed, yet the police were acquitted (Moore et al., 2018). Therefore, the distrust of the judicial system by the media during that time was justifiable.

A Theoretical Analysis of the Crime Event

Various theories are used in the assessment of crime events. The theory that is most relatable to the Zimmerman-Martin's case is the classical theory of crime. According to classical theory, human beings are rational and free to make decisions freely while they understand the consequences of their actions (Thornberry, 2018). The theory emphasizes that individuals commit various crimes at free will having full knowledge that their behaviors are immoral and unacceptable in the society. The classical theory explains that such human behaviors weaken the society. According to the theory, punishment is a necessary evil to punish those who violate the law and serve as examples to the rest (Thornberry, 2018). The theory explains that crime can be prevented through punishment that inhibits any benefits to the criminal. That is why there are strict criminal laws in the U.S and other parts of the world, whereby offenders are issued with significant penalties to discourage such behaviors from the rest.

The classical theory relates to the case selected for the case study in this essay. George Zimmerman was an ordinary citizen in the society who, in his free will, decided to shoot an unarmed black civilian in their neighborhood. Zimmerman was fully aware of his decision and understood the consequences of murder. Such behaviors like murder weaken the society. For instance, there is a police database with records of black people shot and killed by white policemen even when there are unarmed. Such crimes have made the African American community vulnerable in various ways. However, in the end, the United States criminal justice system failed to give Martin the justice he deserved despite evidence to incriminate the offender.

A Description of Media Involvement and Coverage of the Case from Investigation to Disposition

After the shooting of the young black teenager, the news was only reported locally by Reuters. Other local news such as The Orlando Sentinel and the Sanford Herald covered the story of Martin's death with minor details of the case (Benash, 2014). However, Martin's family felt that their son was not granted justice for his murder since the offender had not been charged. The family decided to involve national media to pressure the criminal justice system into charging Zimmerman for the killing of their son. CBS did the first national report regarding the murder case in March, and Martin's father was interviewed, whereby he expressed his disappointment since Zimmerman was not being charged. The Associated Press did the second national report on the case and relied on Martin's family's sentiments and comments as the primary sources. Zimmerman refused to issue any statements to the press, and there were no direct reports from him regarding the accusations.

The partisan press picked the story, and the news was reported through Political Nation, a television show by Sharpton. Sharpton made some comments that were troubling since they were based on assumptions, and the police had not yet issued an official statement. Sharpton described the shooting as vigilantism. The reporter also painted Zimmerman as a racist and a man who was out for blood (Benash, 2014). He expressed his thoughts on the distrust in the United States criminal justice system by giving examples of black men who were shot and killed by white policemen, yet the offenders were never imprisoned. According to Sharpton, Zimmerman was already a free man even before his trial began.

Other national news like MSNBC covered the murder story in the following weeks through their shows. The reporters issued their concerns since Zimmerman was not arrested despite him shooting and killing a person, yet he had been told by the police not to follow the young man. The public outroars from national news increased since the police poorly handled the matter, yet it deserved national attention (Benash, 2014). Fox News also reported the incident and was more sympathetic to Martin.

The media coverage of the case intensified as the investigations were ongoing but changed after some time when conservative and liberal media began accusing each other of exploiting Martin's case for political gains (Benash, 2014). Some activists said that Zimmerman as tried in the press before he was tried in the court.

A Perspective Concerning the Media Effect on Case Outcomes

Zimmerman-Martin's case received a lot of media attention locally and nationally due to the intensity of the circumstances. Many programs were inclined towards Martin, and Zimmerman was portrayed as a racist who deserved to be imprisoned and be an example to the rest. However, in this particular case, the media had minimal influence on the outcome of the Zimmerman-Martin case, and the offender was never charged with murder. However, there are many case outcomes in the United States that have been significantly influenced by the media, especially due to pressure from the public (Tsfati & Cohen, 2012). People get information from the media, and the news shapes their opinions regarding various circumstances. The primary perceptions depicted by the media are trust, influence, and hostility. In some cases, news coverage is often biased, especially when information is politicized, and the public cannot differentiate the knowledge to trust and which to ignore (Tsfati & Cohen, 2012). There has been a decrease in audience trust in the media for several decades since the press has lost its credibility and respect, and it is challenging to believe all the information provided (Tsfati & Cohen, 2012). However, in some instances, public outroar through the media intensifies investigations and triggers the giving of justice.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the media plays a significant role in the reporting of crimes in the United States and other parts of the world. An example of a case that was significantly televised and influenced by the media was the George Zimmerman case of 2013. The reporting of the crime could have been significantly affected by the many incidents that were reported before due to the distrust of the American judicial systems. The theory that is most relatable to Zimmerman-Martin's case is the classical theory of crime, which states that human beings are rational and free to make decisions freely. There are many case outcomes in the United States that have been significantly influenced by the media, especially due to pressure from the public.

References

Benash, W. (2014). A critical look at media coverage in the killing of Trayvon Martin. Master of Arts in Liberal Studies, 15.

Mastrorocco, N., & Minale, L. (2018). News media and crime perceptions: Evidence from a natural experiment. Journal of Public Economics, 165, 230-255.

Moore, S. E., Robinson, M. A., Clayton, D. M., Adedoyin, A. C., Boamah, D. A., Kyere, E., & Harmon, D. K. (2018). A Critical Race Perspective of Police Shooting of Unarmed Black Males in the United States: Implications for Social Work. Urban Social Work, 2(1), 33-47.

Thornberry, T. (Ed.). (2018). Developmental theories of crime and delinquency. Routledge.

Tsfati, Y., & Cohen, J. (2012). Perceptions of media and media effects: The third person effect, trust in media and hostile media perceptions. The international encyclopedia of media studies.