Greer, C. (2007).
News media, victims and crime. In P. Davies et al (Eds.), Victims, crime and society (pp. 20-49). London: Sage Publications.
The chapter ‘News Media, Victims and Crime’ by Chris Greer
from the book ‘Victims, Crime and Society’ outlines how news outlets select
victims of crime to cover from certain criteria and news values, selecting
which will be ‘newsworthy’. This chapter and the entire text itself are highly
credible, referencing such outlets as the Oxford University Press and Journal of
Criminal Justice to validate its claims. As Chris Greer has been specifically
selected to construct this chapter, the content can be heavily relied on as he
specialises in this area. This text describes the ‘ideal victim’ as one who is
given the legitimate status of being an innocent victim, as influenced by
class, race and ethnicity. This is true as the concept of ‘Missing White Woman
Syndrome’ is present in the Courier Mail article, and the Westside News article
stresses that she was a common mother. Greer notes that crime reporting is
“highly selective” and that “violence is constructed [in the media] as
‘random’” or “the intentional acts of evil folk”. This is the case in the
Courier Mail article, which puts forward the issue solely as a violent tragedy.
While the ABC has also ‘selected’ the issue, the reporting is less constructed
and more educational. News values of drama and violence are described by Greer
and being newsworthy, which again is true for the Courier Mail article. He also
notes that crime stories are “selected and ‘produced’… on the basis of visual
and lexical-verbal potential.” The Westside News exploits such potential,
including many images of Baden-Clay and using affecting language. ‘News Media,
Victims and Crime’ highlights commercial media and effectively describes the
behavior of news media, especially that of the Courier Mail and Westside News
articles.
Crane, K. (2012, May
18). Hearts brake for Allison. The
Courier Mail. Retrieved from http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/hearts-break-for-allison/story-fn6ck45n-1226359318441
This newspaper article outlines how the public has responded
to the death of Brookfield
mother Allison Baden-Clay. In this way, it is credible, as the author Kris Cane
of the Courier Mail has acknowledged that a desired response for this type of
journalism has been achieved. The author notes that the issue has “struck a
chord with the public”, and includes dialogue from Police Commissioner Bob
Atkinson describing that it is a case of “…significant public interest.” This
response is attributed to the fact that Baden-Clay is “… a true victim.”
Although the article has been sourced to an in-house reporter, the context
means that the content is at risk of tabloidisation, due to the existing
tragedy news value held by this newspaper. This does occur, as highly
expressive language such as “tragic story”, “heartbreaking” and “…a tearful
service” is utilized. This sways the audience to feel emotional as well, and in
turn increase the public interest. The contradiction between recognizing the
society’s response and manipulating it to generate further interest is common
to tabloid newspapers such as the Courier Mail. Mediums such as television
similarly exploit the public’s reaction. Conversely, it is evident that the
ABC’s article ‘Police confirm body is missing Brisbane woman’ presents purely the facts
with limited emotion, so as to inform but not position the audience.
Police confirm body
is missing Brisbane
woman. (2012, May 2). ABC News.
Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-05-01/police-confirm-body-is-missing-brisbane-woman/3983398
This story illustrates the events of the Baden-Clay’s
disappearance leading up to the discovery of her body. No specific author is
recognised, but the ABC is a trusted news organisation for credible content,
and the online medium means that any new updates can quickly be applied so that
the information is correct. The article approaches the story from a strictly
informative angle by using as few emotive terms as possible, with “…sparking a
major search” being the most expressive phrase throughout. Initially,
Baden-Clay is referred to as a “woman”, and not a “mother” as some tabloid
publications have used, to minimise any emotional attachment the audience may
form. The professionalism of the ABC paired with the online medium means that
the information is presented in short, succinct sentences. Again, this means
that only the facts are offered and eliminates unnecessary emotive language.
Most of the content is credible, although the article notes that “… it was
reported that a sim card had been found” but does not attribute any source.
Despite this, the story is covered more professionally than most tabloid
newspapers and commercial news television stations. When compared to the
article ‘Unrelenting stream of tributes’ from Westside News, it is obvious that
the level of reporting from the ABC’s story is much more information-focused,
without an agenda to emotionally engage the audience.
Unrelenting stream of
tributes. (2012, May 16). Westside News,
p. 5.
This local story summarises the outcomes of Allison
Baden-Clay’s death, mainly spotlighting the memorials that have been erected in
her honour. No author is specified, and the source, Westside News, is not
particularly credible due to its very local focus and the existing agenda to
appeal to local audiences and maintain a readership. This article, rather than
present new and significant developments on the issue, lingers on the memory of
Baden-Clay. While mentioning the “tragic events” of the past weeks, it
describes the location of her body’s discovery, where a small shrine of flowers
now exists, as a “much more sombre location”. The article uses highly emotive
terms to position the readership to view the publication as a family-focused,
‘loving’ local newspaper. It says that Baden-Clay’s “memory is destined to live
on… long after the flowers have wilted” and, as opposed to the ABC’s strictly
informative description of her, refers to her as a “much-loved mother”. While
the content of the article is credible, the manner of its presentation is
unnecessary to provide the information required and adheres to the medium’s
tendency to glorify local events. In contrast, the Courier Mail article ‘Hearts
brake for Allison’ uses similar language, but emphasises the tragedy rather
than the legacy, and concedes that it is doing this.