“Crime news is a staple of
journalism, and reporting it has been considered a public duty of the press”.
(Jaehnig, Weaver, & Fico, 1981) This annotated bibliography will explore
and uncover the underlying principles of how crime is reported, with a primary
focus on the media coverage regarding Queensland’s recent school stabbing
incident. The sourced academic journal and the news story presented through
varying mediums, radio, TV, and an online article, all convey how crime is represented
differently in order to appeal to a specific audience.
Jaehnig, W. B., Weaver, D. H., & Fico, F. (1981). Measuring
media influence reporting crime and fearing crime in three communities.
Journal of Communication, 31(1), 88-88.
The three authors of this text,
Walter B. Jaehnig, David H. Weaver and Federick Fico are all associate
professors of journalism at Indiana University. Their specialised knowledge and
journalistic backgrounds enables the authors to provide an extensive analysis
on how crime is reported in the media. The article begins by outlining that the
traditional role of journalists is to present an accurate and unbiased
representation of reality, allowing society to objectively assess the situation.
The authors continue by explaining that the press apprehends this process, as
news values determine the selection and presentation of information. (Jaehnig,
Walter, & Fico, 1981). The issue of public opinion is also addressed,
highlighting that due to the majority of society having minimal personal
exposure to crime, mass media is the chosen vehicle for knowledge. This
therefore allows the media to construct society’s attitudes and opinions towards
criminal behaviour (Jaehnig, Walter, & Fico, 1981). The authors add depth and
creditability to the piece by the inclusion of their study, which details the
discrepancies between the actualities of criminal acts and how three national
media outlets covered the incidents. Cited below are three media texts from
different platforms that support this article and articulate how crime is
subjectively represented in the media.
Trembath, B. (2012, May 9).
School stabbing deemed an isolated incident. ABC Radio. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2012/s3499280.htm
Senior reporter and radio broadcaster for ABC, Brendan Trembath,
brings over decades of experience in the journalism and communication industry
to this broadcast. Trembath introduces the incident by establishing the nature
of the crime, a schoolyard attack with an unknown motive. Throughout the segment it is made apparent
that the attack occurred at an exclusive private Catholic school, with an
emphasis on how the school reiterates the event as an isolated incident, an
attempt to protect the school’s reputation. The school’s principal, police, and
concerned parents were the sources used for interviews, delivering a sense of
both authority and community concern to the audience. The inclusion of
community sources also demonstrates the news values of locality and proximity,
making this story extremely newsworthy. Unlike alternative media texts covering
this incident, this ABC radio broadcast draws upon previous Queensland and
Australian school stabbing attacks, which therefore elevates the incident to a
state and national level, a characteristic closely associated with ABC, as the
targeted audience is on a national scale.
Trembath then establishes further national validity by applying this
local incident to the largely debated issue of school security measures. Although
the medium of radio can be limited to audio, this report gains credibility and
significance, as the ABC is renowned for their analytical and investigative
approach to news.
Jeffreys, S. (reporter) (May 9,
2012) Brisbane Girl Stabbed, Channel 9
News. [Television Broadcast] Retrieved
from http://news.ninemsn.com.au/queensland/
The commercial media platform,
Nine News, formerly known as National Nine News, is the news service for the
Nine Network in Australia(Nine News, May 2012). The bulletin on May 9, 2012 covering the
Queensland school stabbing incident differs significantly from the above cited
ABC radio report. The television broadcast
primarily focuses on the details of the crime, and the condition of the victim.
The emotional and descriptive language used by the reporter establishes the
prominence of the news values violence and impact, articulating how news values
determine the information presented to the audience (Jaehnig, Walter, &
Fico, 1981). The broadcast then crosses
to a live reporter, who explains that the victim is believed to be the
perpetrators girlfriend, and further entertains the news value of impact by
detailing the victim’s injuries. Throughout the segment, there is no prominence
given to the fact that the attack took place in an exclusive private Catholic
school, and no sources were interviewed. The broadcast of this incident has
been specifically tailored to appeal to Nine News’s targeted audience, who
prefer a mainstream and light approach to news (Brand Map, n.d.). In addition
to filtering news for a targeted audience, the media platform of television is
time restricted, and therefore does not allow for a comprehensive and
analytical approach to news, as seen in the ABC radio report.
Jabour, B. (May 10, 2012) Boy
charged over school stabbing. The Age
Online Retrieved from http://www.theage.com.au/queensland/boy-charged-over-school-stabbing-20120509-1ybv4.html
Brisbane Times, a Fairfax Digital
owned and operated company, is an online based news website. The online article
published by Brodie Jabour, a breaking news, business and property reporter
employed by Brisbane Times, begins by stating the 16-year-old boy has been
charged with attempted murder after stabbing the 14-year-old girl at a
Caboolture school. The news values of
impact and violence are once again introduced early in the piece, confirming the
story’s news worthiness. Coinciding with Nine News, Brisbane Times, also a
platform for commercial media, refrains from giving significant prominence to the
fact the incident occurred at an exclusive private Catholic school. Unlike the other media platforms cited above,
the structure of an online article provides the opportunity for multiple
quotes and statements. The author includes statements from police, providing
the article with authority and in-depth detail with regards to the alleged
weapon, motive, and the ongoing investigation. In comparison to the other
media platforms cited, this online article had more depth with regards to the
actual crime incident, however unlike the ABC radio report, the incident
was not expanded to a national level. Traditionally, online content is
considered to be less reliable and trustworthy as conventional media, such as
print media, however this article gains creditability as Brisbane Times is a
predominately online focused media outlet, operating under the reputable
company Fairfax Digital (Brisbane Times, 2011).
Reference List
Jaehnig, W. B., Weaver, D. H., & Fico, F. (1981). Measuring
media influence reporting crime and fearing crime in three communities.
Journal of Communication, 31(1), 88-88.
Trembath, B. (2012, May 9).
School stabbing deemed an isolated incident. ABC Radio. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2012/s3499280.htm
Jeffreys, S. (reporter) (May 9,
2012) Brisbane Girl Stabbed, Channel 9
News. [Television Broadcast] Retrieved
from http://news.ninemsn.com.au/queensland/
Jabour, B. (writer) (May 10,
2012) Boy charged over school stabbing. The
Age Online Retrieved from http://www.theage.com.au/queensland/boy-charged-over-school-stabbing-20120509-1ybv4.html
Nine News, (May 19, 2012) Wikipedia Retrieved May 25, 2012 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_News
Brand Map, (n.d.) Retrieved May
25, 2012 from http://mi9.com.au/brands
Brisbane Times (2011) Wikipedia Retrieved May 25, 2012 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane_Times
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