Are we ignoring other Crime?

Question

Here in the UK on a daily basis we hear on the news about yet another sex crime committed and,whilst I agree that these crimes are despicable I also feel that we are becomming so obsessed with this type of crime other serious crime is not getting nearly enough publicity.
There is a steady increase in crimes on our estates such as,people being attacked in their own homes,yobs frightening people going about their everyday business,arson attacks and street robberies.
Does the media not realise that all crime has victims and these people need help and support as well.
What are your views on this and do you think other crimes should be given the intense media pressure that sex offenders get which,I to a certain point,agree with

Answer 1

i agree with you, i'm sick of hearing 10 times a day about sex crimes and how bad they are when people are doing things just as bad or worse and no one seems to care.

Answer 2

excellant point, i would say that the reaosn sex crimes are so over publisied is that as someone else said they create moral outrage and make people think that they are better than the victim.
The problem is that the media is never going to report the bog standard attacks, muggings and breakins that occur to everybody at some point or another, one cos they wont sell papers and two cos to be honest with you the papers would never fit all these crimes in.
I dont think its right though and i think brigning the reporting down to a local level of what happens to everyday people may help people to understand why crimes like this occur and what can be done to help the criminals to get themselves out of the circle, i dont beleive that they should be named and shamed for numerous reasons that i dont have space to go into here!

Answer 3

I think that sex crimes make the news so much because they are so unusual. The more 'everyday' street crimes don't make the headlines except as statistics about 'rising tides of crime' etc. However, the media has had a lot ot say about 'anti-social behaviour' on our estates. I think this media attention is fed by politicians, and it isn't helpful.

I think my biggest gripe with media coverage of crime is its continual focus on crimes committed by young working class people. There is a vast amount of harm caused by 'white-collar' crime, such as fraud, corruption and exploitation, which is all but invisible in the media.

I think we should move away from labels like 'crime', 'criminal' and 'anti-social behaviour' and start looking at what harm is done and how it can best be addressed.

Thanks for the question - it got me thinking.

Answer 4

sex crime is actually fairly rare considering the amount of coverage it's given. but then its the sort of sensationalist, moral outrage thing your average Sun or Daily Star reader wants to see - those evil beasts preying on kids makes a great story and its therefore over-represented in the press compared to how often it actually happens.

However the government does has quite a bee in its bonnet about anti-social behaviour as well - yobs and hoodies and happy slapping and what have you - this sort of thing does quite often appear in the local press - usually only when its aimed at defenceless old biddies and children though - the victim makes the story.

You have to remember that the papers are there to sell a story - so its whatever the public is currently "outraged" about

great question - at least someone is thinking and not just absorbing whatever the papers tell them

Answer 5

We are ignoring the real crime. The fact that somebody can be jailed for a parking ticket, but a murderer can go free, 'cos the jails are full'. Why don't we empty 'em by bringing back the death penalty for the most serious crimes? Or a strike system: Jail once, jail twice... three times, you're hung.

More to the point, though. I'd rather a rapist be chased by a police helicopter than a BBC one. What good's a news crew going to do?

Answer 6

good question,

I personally think that there should be local media coverage of all crime no matter how trivial people think this isand also name and shame so criminals are reluctant to do this crime again

e.g.
" Tim Smith of 18 Herbitan Close was arrested for robbing an innocent old woman"
if everyone in the town knew about this crime maybe he would think twice about doing it again.

name and address made up.

Answer 7

Who cares how much publicity different crimes get? I'm more concerned with making sure the police are doing their job, not whether the news decides to broadcast something about it.

Answer 8

no the worst crimes should get more publicity

Answer 9

They cover what will give them the best ratings.

Answer 10

no i dont think we are ignoring crime