#CrimingWhileWhite: Media’s Construction of the Criminal

Abstract

Media perpetuates common myths about crime and criminals. These myths, historically influenced by legacy media, might also be impacted by new media. Legacy media, and particularly television news, is usually meant to highlight the rare and sensationalized event, whereas new media’s agenda is written by everyone. When examining legacy media, there is a focus on immigrants, race/ethnicity, and street crime, and this creates an image of what types of crimes are common and who we should fear as criminals. The current chapter examines some of the more popular myths regarding crime and debunks these myths with current research findings and statistics. Using contemporary examples, this chapter discusses how legacy and new media are influencing who is cast as a criminal, what is considered a crime, and how society reacts.