[link removed] [[link removed]]
John,
Misleading news coverage of crime and justice policies has played a crucial role in the over 50-year history of mass incarceration. From the inflammatory coverage of the “Willie” Horton case to the misleading moral panic created around “superpredators,” sensationalist and racially-biased news media has boosted public support for harmful policies. The Sentencing Project’s updated media guide, 10 Crime Coverage Dos and Don’ts [[link removed]] , can help media outlets avoid common missteps. This guide supports coverage that will inform the public and policymakers on how to pursue the most effective and humane public safety policies.
U.S. crime rates increased dramatically beginning in the 1960s, but between 1991 and 2019 crime rates fell by about half. However during this crime drop, polls showed that most Americans continued to believe that crime rates were increasing. As certain crimes began climbing in 2020, driven by the turbulence of the pandemic, it has become especially important for the media to ensure that its crime coverage is accurate and complete.
Our media guide’s recommendations include:
*
Critically
assess
whether
the
"tough
on
crime"
label
should
be
adopted
for
ineffective
policies;
*
Recognize
the
limited
role
of
youth
crimes
and
evidence
on
appropriate
responses
to
adolescent
crime;
*
Acknowledge
that
growing
prison
terms
for
violent
crimes
are
a
key
driver
of
mass
incarceration
and
have
been
proven
to
be
largely
ineffective;
*
Accurately
present
crime
survivors
as
having
a
complexity
of
views
regarding
sentencing;
*
Conduct
a
racial
equity
audit
on
the
quantity
and
quality
of
crime
coverage.
Read Report [[link removed]]
[[link removed]] Nazgol Ghandnoosh
Co-Director of Research
Email: [email protected] [[email protected]]
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