Professor: Media exaggerate violence
By Loresha Wilson
Diversity Institute Fellow
10.29.02
The mass media present a distorted view of crime, often overemphasizing violence, an assistant professor of sociology at Fisk University said Wednesday.
Dani Smith said the media tend to overlook the prevalence of petty crimes, such as property damage, theft, fraud, burglary and abuse unless a person of prominence is involved.
As a result, the public is led to believe that violent crime is a lot more rampant than it really is, Smith told more than 100 students at a Belmont University convocation session at Massey Business Center.
“According to the media, the only crimes committed are violent crimes,” said Smith. “They have a tendency of filling the public with fear. People are afraid (of) becoming a victim of crime; however, they are at a higher risk of being killed in a car accident.”
Smith said that media reports can lead the public to draw inaccurate conclusions about victims and perpetrators of crime. Many people believe that homicides are usually committed by strangers, she said, but statistics from the Bureau of Justice show about 90 percent of such crimes are committed by acquaintances.
She also said that both victims and offenders are frequently stereotyped by the media. Blacks, for example, are portrayed as the nation’s predominant drug offenders, Smith said, even though statistics show they account for 14 percent of illegal drug use and whites account for 70 percent.
Smith, who holds a doctorate in sociology, has a background in mass communication. Prior to teaching at Fisk, she taught journalism at Lee College in Baytown, Texas.
Smith concluded her presentation by telling the students to keep a proper perspective on news media reports.
“Remember the media tell us what to think about, provide the information we think about and shape how we think about the information,” Smith said.