Commercialism of Sex Crimes by the Media - Essay Example

? Commercialism of Sex Crimes by the Media Essay 161 words Commercialism of Sex Crimes by the Media Over the years there havebeen fears and anxieties concerning the safety of people with the increased number of sexual offenders. This has seriously affected the public perception of sexual offences, and since the media houses touch on current issues that affect the people, they cover such reports passionately. The media is the eye for the people and covers such stories to ensure that justice is served to the people concerned; i.e. the victim and the offender as justice needs to be done to both. However, some media houses often use this fear in the people to enhance business prospects. They know that people tend to buy their papers or watch news when it contains information on sex offences. This is because people are driven by their fears to want to know what is happening around them.1 In many nations including the United States, child sexual abuse is a serious social problem whose prevalence has steadily risen since 1970. Over the years, it has ceased to be rare, small and isolated incidents and has now become a normal occurrence. Sexual abuse especially in children is primarily viewed as extremely serious because people have a unique perception towards children. They see them as pure beings that need protection against such acts. This has led to the formation of protection movements. However, the constant fear that anyone can be sexually abused arouses fear that the media houses use for their benefit.2 In the period, between 1991 and 2006 there was an increase in the media coverage of sex offenders, which was unrelated to an increase in sex offences. Horowitz analyzed the LexisNexis database in regards to coverage of sex offenders and sex offences. The analysis showed that the cases had been increasing with little hope of them reducing any time soon. The logical reasoning behind the wide coverage by the media on such cases is because there is a general increase in sex offenses. Most of the papers use the term sex offenders and sex predators to relate to crimes or laws concerning the two. These terms are mostly associated with predatory behaviours thus they prompt fear and panic in the population. Seeing such terms in the newspapers frequently makes people realize that sexual offenders and predators are an ever growing threat to society.3 Horowitz also analyzed the rate of sex offences in the United States from 1991-2005 using information from the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Through this analysis, a conclusion was made that the frequency of sex offenders in the news and legislation was increasing. On the other hand, sex offences are decreasing. This shows that the media houses cover this topic for popularity reasons. Therefore, these stories do not respond to the increase in sex offences but to the increase in the public interest. This is because they know such stories are captivating or they are interested in seeking legislative or political attention. This forms a cynical cycle that leads to increased media coverage on the issue. This is because politicians rely on information from the media to come up with new legal responses and debates. The media at the same time responds to such legal initiatives leading to further media coverage.4 Most of the time people reading such horrific stories regarding sex offences wish to be informed of such crimes in the society. It has already been established that sex offences can occur to any person, at any time and any place. This makes everyone a potential victim of such an abuse. In addition, the circumstances are made worse by the media houses which exaggerate facts while covering such stories. Psychologically, reading such stories enlightens the reader of these offences although there may be elements of biasness or tilted facts.5 The readers are curious to know what can potentially happen to them and how to prevent such occurrence. In addition, such information speaks volumes of how secure they are from such offences. The questions asked by these readers include; where has the offence occurred? Is it close to me? Is one safe? What legal actions have been put in place to punish the offenders and to support the victims? The recidivism rates offenders at 3%-13% which is considered the lowest among all other offences.6 Such statistics show that even with the costly rehabilitation of these offenders, most of them still go back to committing sex crimes after being released into the society. This causes a great deal of fear among the people since they are afraid that those that they welcomed back can cause similar harm to them. Therefore, they religiously follow sex related news from the media to gauge the likelihood of such rehabilitated members causing them harm. This way they can keep track of such people in the community. To conclude, there have been fears and anxieties concerning the safety of the people considering the increased number of offenders. This has significantly affected the public perception of the sexual offences, and since the media houses touch on current issues that affect the people, they cover such reports with vigour. The media covers such stories to inform people and ensure that justice is served to the people concerned; both the victims and offenders. Most people read these stories for psychological reasons, for example, to determine one’s security and their peace of mind. However, some media houses have been known to take advantage of this fear in the people to create business. They use fear as a tool to get audiences and readers while such stories should not cause hysteria, fear or anxiety among the people but aim to inform them of issues arising in their communities. Therefore, it is quite wrong that the media to exploit such genuine concerns for their own selfish and profiteering gains. Furthermore, it is wrong of the media to exaggerate the facts of sexual abuse incidents; this even affects how the case moves on in court. This seeks to inform that not all information released by the media is correct; this fact lowers the credibility of such institutions that have the task of informing and advocating for peoples’ interests. Bibliography Drake, I, ‘Transforming fear into power: The politicization of child sexual abuse’. Alternet, 2007 January 7, viewed April 14 2012, . Heslan, J, Lawmaker’s bill to better track pervs languishes. Boston Herald, 2006. Horowitz, E, ‘Growing Media and Legal Attention to Sex Offenders: More Safety or More Injustice’. The Journal of the Institute of Justice & International Studies, vol. 7, 2007, pp. 153-155. Horowitz, J, ‘Pirro still hates pedophiles’, The New York Observer, 2006, July 28, viewed on April 14, 2012, . Pratt, J, ‘Child sexual abuse: Purity and danger in an age of anxiety’. Crime, Law & Social Change, vol. 43, 2005, pp. 263-287. Read More