Newsworthiness of Child Abuse Cases - 821 Words

Society is now what Downing, Mohammadi and Mohammadi (1990) would call a ‘media culture’, this is where the perceptions and images of reality are often shaped by the actions and decisions of news editors and producers (Surrette, 1992). The role of the media according to O’Shaughnessy and Stadler (2008) is to give the public an insight on what is happening in the world and to make sense of that information to the public. The main focus of this essay will be looking two main concepts which are newsworthiness and the dark figure of crime, relating 5 news articles that are centred around child abuse that have featured in the New Zealand Herald and stuff.co.nz. The media plays an important role in society by creating and shaping society’s attitudes about most current issues including child abuse. In New Zealand, as well as in the international media, the physical abuse of a child regularly features in the newspapers, magazines, radio and television (Merchant, 2010). When it comes to the public understanding of child abuse, this is influenced by the knowledge that they gain through reading newspapers or mass media like the television or radio. Kitzinger (2004) states that our individual view and sense of the world are a social construct and the media are an important resource to help us construct that world view. The way that child abuse is reported in the media has become what you would call ‘entertainment’ where there seems to be an incline towards dramatising child abuse in aShow MoreRelatedTRUTH AND HONESTY IN THE MEDIA3414 Words   |  14 Pagessociety. Millions of people turn to the media for the latest news and information. The media is responsible for preparing and delivering news programs accurately and honestly to maintain public interest. They are also responsible in evaluating the newsworthiness of all broadcast items and recognizing the publics right to know. According to The Arizona Republic in Phoenix, Facts should be presented honestly, fully and fairly. This applies to news stories, columns, editorials, headlines, graphics, illustrationsRead MoreEssay about How the Media Uses an Ideal Victim in Portrayals of Crime1987 Words   |  8 Pagesan ‘ideal victim’ and show how the media have used this when describing crime. In reference to the media’s role, they have been highlighted for playing a part in maintaining these views by portraying victims in a certain way according to the newsworthiness of each story and their selectiveness (Greer, 2007). Furthermore, there has been an increase in both fictional crime programmes and crime documentaries, with Crimewatch particularly becoming a regular part of British viewing. In the modern context