The Newsworthiness of Crime

Abstract

The manner in which the media reports crime stories and criminal behaviour, and how it portrays offenders, impacts upon the public perception of the type of services available to those requiring treatment, containment or training in the centres in which we work. News reporting not only shapes the views of the general public but also places in the spotlight those who work within these services.This paper examines the position of crime, and criminal or deviant behaviour in the hierarchy of newsworthiness and explores some ways in which public services are protecting themselves from the dangers of unwanted media attention.