Media and juvenile delinquency

A study into the relationship between journalists, politics, and public

Bibliographic Data

ID7477345
AuthorsNel Ruigrok (0009-0000-0552-9673, Erasmus University Rotterdam, corresponding author), Wouter Van Atteveldt (0000-0003-1237-538X, Department of Communication Science, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands), Sarah Gagestein (Director, Taalstrategie, Amsterdam, the Netherlands), Carina Jacobi (University of Vienna)
Year2016
Volume18
Issue7
Pages907-925
Publication date2016-03-16
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournalism (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1464-8849 • E-ISSN: 1741-3001
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1464884916636143
OpenAlexW2330844604
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited34

Between 2007 and 2011, the number of registered juvenile suspects declined by 44 percent, but the Dutch public did not feel any safer. In this research, we study media coverage of youth crime and interview journalists and their sources in order to investigate the relationship between journalists, their sources, and the possible effects on the public with respect to fear of crime. We find an overrepresentation of youth crime in news coverage, especially in the popular press, and a stronger episodic focus over time. All media focus increasingly on powerful sources that focus on repressive framing, but this is especially found in the elite press. We conclude that news coverage in all media groups, although in different ways, does contribute to the fear of crime in society and the idea that repressive measures are needed. The fact that this fear of crime is also caused by news coverage is acknowledged, but neither journalists nor politicians are able or willing to change this

Criminology · Elite · Fear of crime · Framing (construction · Geography · Juvenile delinquency · News media · Political science · Politics · Public opinion · Sociology · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Crime, Deviance, and Social Control · Media Studies and Communication · Law

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Open DOISci-HubOpen Access