A Purpose
"Reporting on crime is important to give society an overall view of the criminal justice system."-Lisa R Manns, "Covering Crime and Its Victims"
Most people do no have a clear understanding of how the justice system works. They may not have studied government or gone to law school. People understand through example. It is a journalist's job to explain to the public how the criminal justice system is at work in each case. This is how the public comes to understand the system. If something is amiss or corrupt in the justice system, people will read about it in the paper. When informed, they may be able to correct it. Perhaps more importantly, if the crime was committed nearby and affects people in the area, they need to be informed so that they can protect themselves against further dangers.
example: "...suspect is still at large."- the suspect could be potentially dangerous. People need to know he is still capable of hurting others so that they can take the proper precaution.
Sometimes, further crimes can be prevented by examining past cases. For example, rape: if a rape victim decides to talk to the press about their experience, further rapes can be prevented. The victim can help by exlaining how the crime happened (i.e. where they were attacked, when). If the rapist hid in a dark alley at night, concelaing himself, people will be more cautious when walking alone at night. Thus preventing more instances. Examining a crime allows you to see how it could have been prevented and what precautions to take in the future.
Most people do no have a clear understanding of how the justice system works. They may not have studied government or gone to law school. People understand through example. It is a journalist's job to explain to the public how the criminal justice system is at work in each case. This is how the public comes to understand the system. If something is amiss or corrupt in the justice system, people will read about it in the paper. When informed, they may be able to correct it. Perhaps more importantly, if the crime was committed nearby and affects people in the area, they need to be informed so that they can protect themselves against further dangers.
example: "...suspect is still at large."- the suspect could be potentially dangerous. People need to know he is still capable of hurting others so that they can take the proper precaution.
Sometimes, further crimes can be prevented by examining past cases. For example, rape: if a rape victim decides to talk to the press about their experience, further rapes can be prevented. The victim can help by exlaining how the crime happened (i.e. where they were attacked, when). If the rapist hid in a dark alley at night, concelaing himself, people will be more cautious when walking alone at night. Thus preventing more instances. Examining a crime allows you to see how it could have been prevented and what precautions to take in the future.
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Dennis G. Jerz on A Purpose: Nobody likes to be reminded of
Madelyn Gillespie on A Purpose: Your blog states a thought of
EllenEinsporn on A Purpose: I definitely agree with you.
Madelyn Gillespie on A Purpose: Your blog states a thought of
EllenEinsporn on A Purpose: I definitely agree with you.
I definitely agree with you. People can learn by example. Unfortunately for some, they learn through experience. By reporting these individuals' unhappy experiences, newspapers help in preventing like experiences. Although they are depressing, the publication of crime stories is extremely important because they serve as warnings to those who read them.
Your blog states a thought of mine too. I think it's unfortunate that crimes happen but by reporting them people can learn from other's mistakes. Telling a person something is different from showing them and that is what crime reporting can provide the public, examples and the consequences received.
Nobody likes to be reminded of what is unpleasant, so messengers bearing bad tidings often suffer unfairly. Nevertheless, journalists can stoop to scare-mongering. I remember a gag on an episode of the Simpsons, where Marge picks up a magazine called "Fretful Mother" with the lead story "Is your baby too cute?" It couldn't have taken more than a second, but it was spot-on. Did we really need to see a 24-hour-updated graphic showing the internet threat level at the bottom of our TV screens for weeks and weeks when it first came out? Audiences quickly grew tired of it, so news organizations stopped stuffing it into their newsholes. Hmm... that sounded more intense than I had intended, but I'll leave it for dramatic effect.