From the Field: CRIME, MEDIA, AND PUBLIC OPINION: CRIMINOLOGISTS’ ROLE AS SOURCE OF PUBLIC INFORMATION

Abstract

ABSTRACT Criminologists have responsibilities to advance understandings of the role of crime and justice in society. Part of this responsibility includes identifying factors influencing the commission of crime (e.g., age, substance abuse, economy, population shifts), criminal justice actions, and contextualizing these events in broader socio-historical perspective for many audiences. Traditionally, academic criminologists have tended to address two audiences, other academics and students, which fundamentally ignores other relevant segments of society, and allows less qualified individuals (e.g., victims, family members) and groups (e.g., social movement organizations, MADD) to shape opinion and policy on crime. What is frequently neglected is attention to educating the public, something potentially fostering support for retributive and highly punitive policies. To contribute to developing more effective crime reducing policies, this paper argues that criminologists should be more involved with shaping public and elite opinion by working with media outlets. Much social science research identifies the influential nature of media images, crime reports, news stories, and other pop-cultural symbols of crime to form public opinion and shape punitive criminal justice policies. This paper argues that criminology as an academic discipline—should more actively seek to provide an informed voice on public policy issue—stepping out of the Ivory Tower to engage in public criminology. Although this paper does not contribute empirical analysis to the media, public opinion, and policy literature, it does offer various means for preparing oneself for media interactions to more effectively disseminate empirically verifiable (i.e., objective) information. Attention is also devoted to reasons why some criminologists choose to work with the media and why others avoid working with the media.