ERIC Number: ED283178
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1987-Aug
Pages: 29
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Covering the Roots of Justice: Louisiana Crime News in the 1980's.
Seiter, Jennifer; And Others
To determine whether the media in one state have reflected current trends in crime reporting, a study focused on crime news content in the 24 Louisiana daily newspapers in 1980 and in 1985. Issues addressed were whether statewide crime coverage increased or decreased, if the placement of crime news and type of headline changed, and whether coverage of specific types of crimes reflected trends for reported crimes. For the study, researchers separated the newspapers into four groups by circulation and divided the newspapers' communities by size. Crime stories were counted for two 1-week periods chosen at random for both 1980 and 1985. Findings indicated that overall crime news in Louisiana increased, and much of the increased coverage was because newspapers published more "driving under the influence of alcohol" incidents and crime prevention stories, as well as more stories about personal and property crimes. Crime prevention items increased by more than 200%, a trend that reflected the media/police programs initiated in many Louisiana cities to inform and to protect the public against crime. Also, more crime news was published on the front pages in 1985 than in 1980. But more than three-fourths of the crime coverage appeared on the inside pages. Overall, crime news did not mirror reported crimes, with violent crimes disproportionally emphasized, perhaps because reporters only covered easily accessible crimes or they were unfamiliar with the criminal justice system. (SKC)
Descriptors: Comparative Analysis, Crime, Crime Prevention, Media Research, News Reporting, Newspapers, State Surveys, Violence
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Louisiana
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A