The Impact Of Media Representations Have On Our Understanding Of Crime And Deviance

With the development of the world wide web and the increase of social media platforms, it could be argued that there has been a significant change in media representations, stereotyping and an increase in racial profiling. Throughout the years, the media has been scrutinised by the general public with their racial profiling stereotyping and reporting of crimes. Furthermore, the police have also been criticised for playing a role in reinforcing these representations with their bias stop and searches, racialised targeting of Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups (BAME) and injustices in certain cases. Additionally, there has been research over the years to highlight the significance of the media and its impact. One example would be Stanley Cohen’s study of Moral Panics and Folk Devils with his work on the Mods and Rockers in the 1970s. Cohen’s study on the Mods and Rockers and Jock Young’s study on Hippies in Notting Hill is an important example to use when judging the extent of change throughout media representations over the years. A more contemporary example to use in 2019 would be the moral panic over knife crimes. The media’s reporting of these specific crimes has managed to affect our understanding of crime and deviance as the public is fed information on the specific false characteristics of what the criminals of the crime would look like. The media manages to sensationalise the extent of crimes occurring which is negatively affecting London.

‘Notably that the mass media are the primary source of the public’s knowledge about deviance and social problems’, (Cohen 1972). Cohen has acknowledged the importance of the mass media in the 1970s, this is roughly 40 years prior to social media and the internet in its current state and influence. Cohen’s study in the 1970s was based on the Mods and Rockers. These were two subcultures which had lived in the same area, Clacton, with competing ideas on who the better group was. Prior to the media coverage there was minimal conflict between the two groups however once the media was involved the clash between the groups had increased. The news story of the Mods and Rockers fighting on the beach had circulated, while the fight was occurring the newspapers had managed to sensationalise the extent of the conflict which led to a moral panic and a deviancy amplification spiral. The coverage in which both parties had received was negative. As a result of the conflict there was a major crackdown on the two groups as the police had to act, letting the public and government know that action was being taken. This is one major impact of media representations. The Mods and Rockers had made the general public uneasy and fearful of their own community which led to an increase in police forces on the streets and an increase in arrests. Following the brawl and moral panic, the Mods and Rockers were seen as Folk Devils and were scapegoated for the problems in society. The media had a very important role in reinforcing these ideas as their coverage on the youth was sensationalised to make them look worse. As Cohen previously suggested the mass media is the source of the public’s knowledge, therefore if they are seeing in newspapers that these young people are the root of the problem its more likely for fear to be developed among them against the young people. Both the Mods and Rockers were seen as a threat to the status quo. Cohen’s study is very impactful as it allows for researches to view how media representations affect our understanding of crime and deviance. From the study of the Mods and the Rockers it is evidently highlighted that the media representations allow us, as the public, to associate certain crimes with certain groups. However, this could be very damaging as it is collectively blaming a whole group when majority of the time it is only the minority.

Furthermore, Jock Young’s study of drug-taking is useful in analysing the impact of media representations on our understanding of crime and deviance. Young had studied ‘hippie’ marijuana users in Notting Hill in the era of the 1960s. His study helped researchers view the importance of primary and secondary deviance. During the 1960s illegal drug taking was still very taboo and as a result, Young had decided to study the group that chose to do it despite all the stigma attached to it. Young had identified that the hippie drug takers were targeted significantly by the police which as a result had marginalised them from society. This is also known as Primary Deviance, the initial stage in which Edwin Lemert highlights. While drug taking was not essential or vital to their group activities it became a large part of their identity and was used as a symbol to emphasise their difference. This is where Secondary Deviance takes place. The Hippies did drug taking as a side activity rather than consistently only doing it like the newspapers suggested. The Hippie drug takers were singled out from society and were significantly looked down upon. Newspapers around the world had described them as being “dirty, idle, promiscuous and drug-users”. Furthermore, one of the national newspapers, News of the World on 21st September 1969 had reported the Hippies as “drug taking…couples making love while others look on…a heavy mob armed with iron bars, filth and stench, foul language…these are not rumours but facts, sordid facts which will shock ordinary decent living people”, (News of the World 1969). This representation that was reinforced by many newspapers around the UK had negatively impacted the group as now they were seen as disobedient group of people who had disturbed the peace of the ordinary people trying to live their lives. The association between Marijuana users and Hippies was now a stereotype in which the media had reinforced via their exaggerated coverage of the group. Young, however, clearly identified that this coverage of the Hippies was much more newsworthy then another discussion on politics as it was something out of the ordinary, “that are atypical, presents them in a stereotypical fashion and contrast them against a backcloth of normality which is over a typical. This atypical is elected because the everyday or humdrum is not interesting to read or watch; it has little news value” (Young 1971). Overall, this once again conveys that media representations have an impact on our understanding of crime and deviance because the public and government bodies have managed to successfully marginalise and single out these group of people due to them partaking in illegal drug-taking.

Young and Cohen’s are two very important studies to consider when highlighting the importance in which media representations have on our understanding of crime and deviance. From their work it could be argued that the media representations set forth have negatively impacted our understanding of crime and deviance as it allows for prejudice, stereotyping and marginalisation’s to be reinforced. A more contemporary moral panic to focus on would be knife crime. While Knife Crime was high in the years 2008/09 with just over 12,000 reports to the police it had however decreased in 2014/15 to 9,700. By 2018/19 the number had reached its highest peak at 14,800 reports. The statistics provided by the Metropolitan Police Service acknowledges the rise in the crime again. With this significant increase in the number of knife crimes the mass media and newspapers have perpetuated this idea that it is a problem caused by the youth in society.

The reporting of knife crimes via the mass media is evidently conveying to the public that it is only between a specific group in society and that being is young black boys. While the media manages to show that all young black boys participate in this type of behaviour it is in fact evident that it is the very minority. Despite this the majority of the young black boys are being scapegoated as the primary source of the growth in this crime. Some examples of newspaper headlines that reinforce this idea, ‘killers were screaming and laughing before stabbing Islington teen to death in Camden’, (Volpe, S. 2019) ‘Young boy fighting for his life after East London knife attack’ (Bronwen W. 2019) and ‘Teenager killed on London street in Capital’s 11th fatal knife crime victim’ (Snaith E. 2019). The headlines are clearly underlining and building up the persona that this specific crime is only between these young boys who often have ethnic minority victims. Therefore, this explains the increase in racial profiling and targeted stop and searches. The police as a result of these media representations will target these specific people as they are shown that young black males are victims and the perpetrators of this crime. Statistics from the Home Office portray that ‘Black people were 9 and a half times as likely to be stopped and searched as White people in 2017/18’ (Home Office 2019). This statistic clearly shows that there is a racial injustice within the criminal justice system and policing within England and Wales. This racial profiling by the Police have led to an increase in distrust of the police by ethnic minority groups. The police are seen as the enemy rather than the supporter and/ or provider that they’re portrayed to be.

Acknowledging this problem in today’s society, the Members of Parliament (MPs) argue that they have found the root of the cause and this being is the genre of ‘Drill Music’. An ITV report on drill music states that the definition of Drill Music is defined as, ‘Music videos posted online often feature hooded and masked gangs threatening each other, with lyrics about drugs, guns and stabbing rivals with knives’ (ITV Report 2019). The genre is blamed for encouraging provocative behaviour and brain-washing the youth population to act in a criminal-like manner. The drill music scene is seen as glamourising use of drugs, stabbings and trap houses and as a result media representations of the genre ‘Drill’ is unquestionably negative. Rappers Casyo ‘Krept’ Johnson and Karl ‘Konan’ Wilson have managed to defend the importance in which drill music has both in the scene and the individuals lives. Their song ‘Ban Drill’ explores the themes and experiences of being a young black male living in London. Theorist Robert Reiner, identifies how the media is the root of criminality. The extent in which journalists go to make newsworthy headlines is highlighted, the papers are driven by business like criteria’s such as profit, competition and dominant ideologies. “Most commonly, the media are accused of exaggerating the risks of crime, cultivating an image of the world that is ‘scary’ and ‘mean’ (Reiner 2007). The media representations put forward as a result conveys that the problem of knife crime is due to the minority that create the problem for themselves by listening to music as such. This is seen as victim-blaming. In addition to this Reiner, Sonia Livingstone and Jessica Allen from their research found ‘a generally upward trend in the proportion of stories focused on crime in both newspapers’ (Reiner et al 2007). This is due to it being seen as more newsworthy and at this moment in time knife crime is the hot topic which as a result means more coverage of it consequently more representations being reinforced. In consequence, the media representations affect our understanding of crime and deviance as journalists are to an extent feeding us with false information about the intensity of the crime. Which as a result is leading to an increase in a moral panic and unfavourable government schemes that do not settle the social problems that are existent in society.

In conclusion, as evidently portrayed through many research and studies by sociologists and criminologists the impact in which media representations have is significant on our understanding of crime and deviance. It doesn’t only impact an individual’s life it is also impacting a community. Cohen’s study showed us how media representations affected our understanding of crime and deviance, as the public’s fear in the mischievous youth had led to negative stereotyping of the Mods and Rockers but also a heavy crackdown leading to higher arrest rates and increased policing within the streets. Young’s study depicts the importance of public interaction with deviance, as the act is considered a deviant act unless the public interaction suggests otherwise. The contemporary example of knife crime is likewise essential in illustrating the impact in which media representations have on our understanding of crime and deviance as it encourages for people to categorise certain individuals into a criminal subculture. The media representations set forth by the powerful journalists to an extent allows for the lower classes of society to maintain their low class as they are in control of feeding the public with information.