Police Shootings in Black and White: Exploring Newspaper Coverage of Officer-Involved Shootings
| Autor: | Charles F. Klahm, Laura L. Rubino, Jordan Papp |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
business.industry
050901 criminology 05 social sciences Media studies 050801 communication & media studies Public relations Media consumption Newspaper Officer 0508 media and communications Framing (social sciences) Content analysis Political science Racialization 0509 other social sciences Suspect business Criminal justice |
| DOI: | 10.1108/s1521-613620160000021011 |
| Popis: | Purpose This study set out to advance knowledge on the reporting of police shootings in print media. Media is the main source of information on criminal justice issues for most citizens. Thus, understanding the presentation of police-involved shooting incidents is important for determining the manner in which media might shape the opinions of readers. Methodology/approach The current study content analyzed relevant newspaper articles gathered from a large database of journalistic documents compiled by Lexis Nexis. Articles pertaining to police shootings published between January 1, 2014 and April 30, 2015, were identified and coded to document various dimensions of how these encounters are portrayed in print media. Findings Results indicate that explicit racialization of the stories was limited, which is contrary to what was expected. Neither the race of the suspect or officer was mentioned in most stories, making it difficult to assess explicit reporting bias of these incidents. However, results indicate that implicit bias might play a role in shaping the content portrayed in print news accounts of police-involved shootings. Originality/value The current study represents one of the first – if not the first – content analysis of news stories centered on police-involved shootings. Given the significant role media plays in delivering information about crime and justice topics to the citizenry, a working knowledge about the media’s portrayal of these events is important for understanding how media consumption may shape citizens’ opinions about police-involved shootings. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|