Crime news is an important part of journalism and has a major influence on public perceptions of crime. Yet it is also one of the most difficult and risky areas of news reporting.
The most common type of crime news is a report on a specific criminal offence. These include murders, theft and fraud. Especially on commercial television stations, they account for the majority of crime news. Public television on the other hand is more likely to address crime in a general context without focusing on a specific case.
One of the most important aspects of a good crime report is to provide lots of details. The reader wants to know what kind of masks the raiders wore or what colour the getaway car was. The journalist should also try to get a better understanding of the underlying causes. This may involve talking to experts, for example on why rapes happen in certain weather conditions or what effect the location of a local pub has on its crime rate.
Another important issue is how the media represents offenders. Research suggests that media portrayals of suspects have a strong influence on the perception of crime. For example, mugshots of black people are used more often by news media than those of white people. This has the effect of implying that the accused is more likely to be a criminal than a white person.
The public can support journalists by supporting them in their work. They can also encourage the media to change their depiction of crime by providing feedback on crime stories in the media. For example, on social media platforms where a user clicks or shares a crime story, they can tell the website to serve them more related content.