Abstract
ABSTRACT The discrepancy between official crime statistics and media coverage of crime is well known. This is particularly the case for criminals with a migrant background. Their disproportionate and stereotypical representation in crime news can reinforce prejudices among audiences. For this reason, the German Press Code was amended in 2017 to stipulate that the origin of criminals shall not be mentioned in crime news. Using quantitative content analysis, the present study examined frames of criminals in German television news (n = 290), taking into account differences in references to the origin of criminals before and after the amendment of the Press Code, as well as between public and private news programs. Cluster analysis identified four frames of criminals: felons, right-wing extremists, foreign criminals, and Islamist terrorists. The frames differ significantly in the frequency of references to the origin of criminals. However, the frames do not differ between public and private news programs. Crime coverage remains largely unaffected by the amendment of the Press Code guideline.
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