Framing criminals in German regional newspapers

The discrepancy between (regional) media coverage of criminal activity and official crime statistics, particularly concerning the portrayal of immigrant offenders, is widely acknowledged. The media’s framing of crime and the corresponding presentation of perpetrators with a migration background play a critical role in shaping public perceptions and reinforcing existing stereotypes. In response to this issue, the German Press Council revised Guideline 12.1 of the Press Code in 2017 by introducing the criterion of a legitimate public interest for mentioning a perpetrator’s origin. To investigate how regional news organizations apply the press code guideline, the present study identifies frames of criminals and conducts an in-depth analysis of origin references using a mixed-methods approach, combining a quantitative content analysis (n = 486) with a qualitative analysis (n = 27) of (online) crime reports from four German regional newspapers. Through cluster analysis, four frames of criminals were identified: Felons, Thieves and burglars, Vandals, and Negligent traffic offenders. Perpetrators or suspects with a migration background were referenced nearly five times more frequently than those of German origin. Furthermore, suspects identified as having a non-German background – whether explicitly stated or implicitly suggested – are often framed within a different contextual narrative. Our findings point to inconsistencies in the compliance with the guidelines outlined in the Press Code, potentially contributing to the hardening of stereotypes against minorities

Content analysis · Criminal Code · Frame analysis · Framing effect · German · Immigration · Perception · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Crime, Deviance, and Social Control · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence