How Mass Media Influences Criminal Justice: An Analysis

This essay examines the significant impact of mass media on public perception and the criminal justice system. It explores how media coverage, particularly through social media, shapes public understanding of crime, police investigations, and court proceedings. The essay discusses the power of media to influence public opinion, sometimes leading to 'trial by media,' where individuals are judged by the public before or outside of the legal process, potentially affecting the fairness of trials and the collection of evidence. It also highlights the positive aspects of media's role, such as its ability to expose injustices and amplify the voices of marginalized communities, as seen in movements like #MeToo. The essay concludes by emphasizing the need to address the negative consequences of media influence to protect the interests of innocent people and ensure a fair and just criminal justice process.

0 | P a g e
Introduction to Criminology and Criminal Justice

1 | P a g e
Introduction
Mass media focus on crime stories and representations since they attract the attention of a
large number of people. In today’s era of digitalisation where the attention of users is a
currency for digital platforms, unfair or unethical means are used by organisations to
increase their viewership. Reporting of crime and crime stories is a good way through which
mass media can capture the attention of a large number of people as shown by examples
such as live reporting of run and trial of OJ Simpson in 1994 (Turcotte et al. 2015, pp. 520-
535). However, these reports affect the perception of people watching the trial which
affects different stages of the criminal justice process and criminal justice policy. The
influence of media in the justice process can have disastrous results since people easily
believe what they see on the media (Anderson et al. 2014, pp. 373-387). The thesis
contributes debates regarding the role of media in influencing the perception of the public
which negatively affects the criminal justice process and policy. In this essay, the role which
media plays in affecting the perception of the public will be discussed along with its impact
on the steps of the criminal justice process and criminal justice policy.
Power of Media
Mass media has the ability to capture the attention of the nation and influence their
perception towards a particular topic, and this power makes it challenging for the criminal
justice process to deliver justice in criminal cases. People’s knowledge and understanding
about crime, police forces, investigations and criminal justice are derived from the media,
and their perception is heavily influenced by what they watch or heard through various
media sources (Graber & Dunaway 2017). Media plays a major role in informing people

2 | P a g e
regarding major issues to bring their attention towards these issues which is crucial to tackle
them; however, it also means that the media has the power to influence people’s
perception towards criminal justice system. Many media sources have been guilty of using
stereotypes against certain minorities to depict that they are the ones who commit majority
of crimes which affects the perception of people (Schemer 2012, pp. 739-757). A good
example is the perception of African-Americans and Mexicans in the United States and
Aboriginal people in Australia. For example, the study conducted by the Australian Survey of
Social Attitudes (AuSSA) found that 39.8 percent of people believe that crimes have
increased a lot, 23.8 percent believe that there is little growth in crime and 25.7 percent
believe that crimes are the same (Davis & Dossetor 2010). However, in reality, the rate of
crimes has decreased in Australia in the past few years. The rate of coverage of crimes in the
media of Australia has increased drastically in the past few years which is a key factor that
contributes to the misperception of the people in the country.
Trial by Media
With the growth in the popularity and impact of mass media, the issue of ‘trial by media’
has become prominent which affects different steps of the criminal justice system. The
media portrayal of the unequal treatment of certain minorities in the community affects the
perception of individuals towards their issues. For example, Michael Brown was an 18-year-
old African America who was shot by a white police officer, and this story caught major
attention from media outlets (Osunsami & Knox 2017). People started protesting and using
social media sites to hold the guilty police officer liable for the crime. This shows that mass
media plays a major role in highlighting social issues by giving strong opinions about crimes
which helps the criminal justice system. However, this is not the case for everyone, and

3 | P a g e
there are many cases where innocent victors where harassed by people due to their
perception made by the mass media (Greer & McLaughlin 2012, pp. 395-416).
There is a dangerous rationalisation of crimes in media sources where the hosts strongly put
their opinion about the criminal cases. Many media outlets ask for opinions from their
viewers on the criminal case which shapes their perception; however, it is not the job or the
media or people to decide whether a person is guilty or not (Anderson et al. 2014, pp. 373-
387). The courts are responsible for taking this decision after evaluating all the facts.
However, even when a person is found yet found guilty by the court, he/she becomes a
victim of ‘trial by media’, and it becomes difficult for such person to live a normal life
without the interference of the public. These incidents make it difficult for police officers to
collect relevant evidence against suspects (Chagnon & Chesney-Lind 2015, pp. 41-60). Police
officers face the pressure from the public to solve the case quickly which makes it more
likely for them to commit mistakes due to which innocent people suffer consequences. Most
of the time, members of minority communities face the consequences due to the pressure
of mass media since they are portrayed the suspects with most intentions to commit the
crime (Turcotte et al. 2015, pp. 520-535). The criminal stereotyping of minorities on media
sources makes it easier for the public to assume that they are the ones who have committed
crimes which is a negative impact of over rationalisation of minorities by the mass media.
Positive Influence of Media on Criminal Justice
There are many positive benefits of the mass media on the criminal justice system of the
country which can be achieved through influencing the perception of the public. Mass
media sources, especially social media sites, provide a platform to victims to shows the
unequal or discriminatory behaviour which they face from the criminal justice system. For

4 | P a g e
example, the recent ‘#MeToo’ movement on the social media sites enable women from all
across the globe to bring forward against the fight of sexual assault and misuse of power by
people in position who take unfair advantage of people who did not have such power. Due
to this campaign, criminals such as Harvey Weinstein were brought forward, and it assisted
the criminal justice system in delivering justice to victims who otherwise find it impossible to
hold these criminals liable through the traditional process (Pilkington 2018). The perception
of people towards these crimes are also changed by the media, and they are more likely to
openly express their views regarding major social issues such as LGBT rights and sexual
assault to ensure that their victims receive appropriate justice. It shows that mass media can
be a saviour for minorities who did not have their own voice and the mass media sources
can assist the public in hearing their voices which assist in the delivery of justice (Callanan
2012, pp. 93-115). However, there is a high probability that innocent parties might be hurt
by the actions of the mass media since these sources focus on finding the news to attract
most customers rather than solving major social issues. The criminal justice system provides
that no one can be considered a criminal unless he/she has found guilty without a
reasonable doubt. However, media sources did not comply with this principle, and they
declare a person criminal based on the prima facie evidence without focusing on its
consequences (Schemer 2012, pp. 739-757). It shows the negative side of the power of the
mass media to influence the decision of people which can be challenging for the criminal
justice system.
Conclusion
Based on the above observations, it can be concluded that there is substantial impact of the
mass media on the perception of people and different steps of the criminal justice system.

5 | P a g e
Although mass media sources can help the criminal justice system; however, with the
popularity of social media sites, these sources have become a curse which negatively affects
innocent people. People are easily influenced by the information provided on the media
sources which makes it easier for them to go against the judgement of the criminal justice
system. The trial by media is a major problem which adversely affects many innocent people
who are treated as guilty by the public even when the criminal justice system did not found
them guilty. The over-rationalisation of minorities by the media sources makes it difficult for
them to break their stereotypes and address major social issues which affect the entire
community. Although the mass media sources also assist in identifying major social
problems and the issues faced by people who did not have the resources or abilities to fight
against people with power; however, it also negatively affects many innocent people. Due
to all these factors, the negative impact of mass media on the criminal justice system is
highlighted which should be addressed in order to protect the interest of innocent people.

6 | P a g e
References
Anderson, AA, Brossard, D, Scheufele, DA, Xenos, MA & Ladwig, P 2014, ‘The “nasty effect:”
Online incivility and risk perceptions of emerging technologies’, Journal of Computer
‐
Mediated Communication, vol. 19, no. 3, pp.373-387.
Callanan, VJ 2012, ‘Media consumption, perceptions of crime risk and fear of crime:
Examining race/ethnic differences’, Sociological Perspectives, vol. 55, no. 1, pp. 93-115.
Chagnon, N & Chesney–Lind, M 2015, ‘“Someone’s been in the house:” A tale of burglary
and trial by media’, Crime, Media, Culture, vol. 11, no. 1, pp.41-60.
Davis, B & Dossetor, K 2010, (Mis)perceptions of crime in Australia, Australian Institute of
Criminology, viewed 13 February 2019, < https://aic.gov.au/publications/tandi/tandi396>.
Graber, DA & Dunaway, J 2017, Mass media and American politics, Cq Press, Washington,
D.C.
Greer, C. & McLaughlin, E 2012, ‘Media justice: Madeleine McCann, intermediatization and
‘trial by media’in the British press’, Theoretical Criminology, vol. 16, no. 4, pp.395-416.
Osunsami, S & Knox, M 2017, Surveillance video may shed light on Ferguson police shooting
of Michael Brown, ABC News, viewed 13 February 2019, <
https://abcnews.go.com/US/surveillance-video-sheds-light-ferguson-police-shooting-mike/
story?id=46088363>.
Pilkington, E 2018, Harvey Weinstein's arrest: the moment the #MeToo flood burst the dam,
The Guardian, viewed 13 February 2019, <
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/may/25/harvey-weinstein-latest-news-arrest-
metoo-dam-burst-moment>.
Turcotte, J, York, C, Irving, J, Scholl, RM & Pingree, RJ 2015, ‘News recommendations from
social media opinion leaders: Effects on media trust and information seeking’, Journal of
Computer
‐Mediated Communication, vol. 20, no. 5, pp.520-535.