Analyzing the Media's Depiction of Police and Fear of Crime

This discussion post examines the complex relationship between media portrayals of the police and the public's fear of crime. It explores how excessive media viewing, particularly of crime-related content, can contribute to an increased fear of crime, even if the depictions are not entirely accurate. The post analyzes the influence of police dramas and news coverage on public perception of law enforcement, questioning whether reenactments and biased interpretations mislead viewers. It also delves into the ethical obligations of law enforcement officials regarding transparency and truthfulness when interacting with the media, and whether deception is justified in certain circumstances, such as undercover operations. Furthermore, the post considers the balance between citizens' rights to information and law enforcement's need to protect sensitive information, ultimately arguing that law enforcement agencies may prioritize protection over complete honesty in certain situations to ensure public safety.

Running head: MEDIA DEPICTION OF THE POLICE
Media Depictions of the Police
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What is the relationship between excessive media viewing and the fear of crime? Is
an increased fear of crime a natural response to violence, brutality and injustice being
broadcasted to our homes on a daily basis? Why or why not?
There is a strong relationship between excessive media viewing and fear of crime. When
people interact with media regularly, crime shows and images shower them. The more they view
these shows, the more they are instilled with the fear of crime. Since most of the crime shows
will present violent images, viewers will overestimate how much offense there is out there. The
media have given more and more crimes over the years. They air crime-shows with violence in
the media to catch the attention of the viewers. Broll (2014) says that the most dangerous and
violent crimes aired in the media are the most entertaining ones even if the fact that they are
distorted and not real.
However, the increasing fear of crime is not a natural response to violence, brutality or
injustice because what we see in the media is not always true. The information is created only to
increase the number of viewers and readers with the intention of increasing profits. Moreover,
there in the current years business competition in the media has improved and they present
anything interesting to the viewers with a goal of beating the game and increasing their profits.
Many police dramas now include reenactments of crimes. Does this mislead viewers
into believing that such things happened? Does the media's interpretation of facts bias the
perceptions of the public about the effectiveness of law enforcement officers?
Most of the police portrayals presented by the media especially on the television are not
all accurate and may at times mislead the viewers. In a television show, a case about a crime is
handled and solved within an hour. However, this cannot happen so fast in real life it is a fantasy

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that is also there for entertainment (Cohen et al., 2017). The media's interpretation of facts bias
the perceptions of the public about the effectiveness of law enforcement officers when in a show
about crime and how-how to conduct investigations, witnesses interviewed, suspect interviewed
and other investigation techniques and lead followed by the police. These are the actual
portrayals by the police.
Analyze and explain whether the law enforcement officials are under any similar
ethical obligation to not intentionally present false information to the media.
Law enforcement officials should uphold their ethics of being transparent and truthful to
the nation, the media is the representation of the government and the public rely on them for
information. They should provide the correct information regarding any matter to the press but
there are limits of the information shared. However, when a case is under investigation or
involves issues of national security, they are obliged not to disclose it to the media. At this point,
they can give a false statement to avoid suspicions by the press.
Should law enforcement be able to block a media inquiry into police activities in
some cases because of the belief that the use of deception is for a greater good such as for
an undercover drug operation?
The law enforcement has an obligation of blocking the media from getting specific
information. This law may happen it is an undercover case and is not complete. They believe that
if the info induces suspense and fear to the public, or those working in the strange case will be in
danger if the information is exposed; they can order the media to withhold it (Meindl & Ivy,
2017).

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Suspected criminals do not always have a right to expect the truth from law
enforcement, but do citizens have a right to expect the fact at all times from all public
officials, including law enforcement? Analyze and explain.
Law enforcement agencies and people that serve us deserve our respect for the way they
put their lives at risk to ensure that we are safe. Citizens should learn to trust them since they are
sacrificing a lot to keep them safe. For this reason, they will not be honest with the citizens at all
times (Brants & van Praag, 2017). They will choose to protection over honesty. If the
information is a threat to the citizens, they will diligently withhold it all because they want to
protect the welfare of the citizens.

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References
Brants, K., & van Praag, P. (2017). Beyond Media Logic. Journalism Studies, 18(4), 395–408.
Broll, R. (2014). “Criminals Are Inside of Our Homes”: Intimate Partner Violence and Fear of
Crime1. Canadian Journal of Criminology & Criminal Justice, 56(1), 1–22
Cohen, J. cohen@bc. ed., Ding, Y., Lesage, C., & Stolowy, H. (2017). Media Bias and the
Persistence of the Expectation Gap: An Analysis of Press Articles on Corporate Fraud.
Journal of Business Ethics, 144(3), 637–659.
Meindl, J. N., & Ivy, J. W. (2017). Mass Shootings: The Role of the Media in Promoting
Generalized Imitation. American Journal of Public Health, 107(3), 368–370.