Full Description
In today's society, the public perception of crime has been skewed by how the media depicts it. People use the media for enjoyment, companionship, surveillance, and interpretation. The problem is that it becomes hard to separate fact from entertainment. This raises several questions. How are we consuming media? Are we consuming reality within the news? And are we consuming harmless pleasure from entertainment media?
In Crime, Media, and Reality: Examining Mixed Messages about Crime and Justice in Popular Media, Venessa Garcia and Samantha Garcia Arkerson focus predominantly on the social constructions of crime and justice and how we absorb them. They look at the influence of crime news and true crime television series that prevent the public from understanding pure entertainment from the realities of crime and justice. They bring to light the social science knowledge missed by media "infotainment," which has blurred the line between information and entertainment.
Throughout, all different forms of media are discussed, news media, crime dramas and true crime television series. In doing so, they keep all of its fascinating coverage while uncovering the reality of crime and justice. This book adds significant information to the constructs held by the general public by placing media depictions into historical, legal, and social context.
Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: News Media, Social Media, and Crime Waves
Chapter 3: Framing and Narrating Crime in the News
Chapter 4: Crime in the Movies
Chapter 5: Crime Television
Chapter 6: Policing Crime
Chapter 7: Courtrooms and Lawyers in the Media
Chapter 8: Prison in the Media
Chapter 9: Conclusion: Media's Social Construction of Crime and Justice
Appendix A: Crime Movies Cited with Release Dates
Appendix B: Television Shows Cited with Air Dates
