Crime interest
- 3 Jun 08, 11:19 AM
There is a debate among senior أغر؟´«أ½ journalists about our coverage and prominence of crime. My colleague Kevin Marsh has blogged on the subject - and his views are worth a read. Rather than replicate those arguments, I present a practical hands on journalists' dilemma over the argument...which you will have views on...
Like it or not - viewers and listeners are interested in crime stories. They may make them worry - they may appeal to the heart - or they may make them wonder if the authorities could do more to halt the perceived march of knife crime. There's nothing new about crime interest and viewers, listeners and readers - it's an even older phenomenon than Jack the Ripper, after all.
So why do news organisations - especially those who are audience driven or influenced - give such prominence to crime, when as authorities point out, violent crime is falling - and you are very unlikely to be a victim?
Faced with a list of stories which might include will-Hillary-pull-out-of-the-US-election race, a think-tank report on social policy and last night's Vauxhall conference scores...you might imagine why our on duty journalists might be drawn to lead their bulletins on a murder - especially one with a strong narrative attached.
Should we react automatically in this way? Of course not. Should we add context to our reporting when we lead on, say, knife crime as explained in Kevin's blog? We certainly should.
But is the audience interested in the story in the first place? Our evidence is that they are - and that whatever we say - they are very worried about violent crime. So on that basis should we cover the story? Yes probably.
In Birmingham City centre, 1Xtra reporter Briar Burley didn't take long to find a young man who carries a knife. He told us "it's....seven inches....anyone who attacks me...I go for the neck and throat". Our reporter challenged him about the likely fatal consequences of such a move as well as the illegality of possession. He was unmoved: that's why I'm doing it.
We know younger people are more likely to be crime victims than homeowners in leafy suburbs - but among both groups fear is high - and arguably reflect a sense of powerlessness of the Police to stem "the tide".
Those who got in touch with Max's show on 1Xtra afterwards held a variety of views. Some said the Police "didn't care" - others claimed the government's new viral advertising on the web was a waste of money and likely to further glamorise knife crime. Others wanted more education at an earlier age of the hazards and dangers.
So whether you think there's too much crime on the news and it fuels an unjustified fear - or whether it's a real worry, perhaps triggered by personal experience - which leads some of our listeners to illegally carry knives for self defence - crime as an issue isn't going to go away and the media doesn't have the solution. Or does it?
