ipl-logo

Media Influence On Law Enforcement

1175 Words5 Pages

Media’s Influence on Public Opinion of Law Enforcement

Television, movies, and other mass media sources use persuasion in commercials, product placement, etc. but what about in the content? Is what one sees perceived as true and factual? How are people influenced by media (Postman, 161)? More importantly, how are people influenced by media to view those called upon for help when in need? The overabundance of media relating to crime has not only influenced public opinion but has also triggered changes for law enforcement personnel. The bias (or incorrect/incomplete) views of news media have contributed to a negative opinion of law enforcement officers. Television programs and movies have portrayed false realities of the lives of law enforcement …show more content…

After all, news programming is meant to relay facts and inform of recent events. Does that mean undertone opinions should be adapted? When attempting to be the “first to report” a story, the lack of hesitation may allow for a story to be aired without all the facts. In the recent high profile events involving law enforcement, many times it initially appears the officer did something wrong. Viewers are incited, accusations fly, protests begin, and violence erupts creating a whole new situation for law enforcement fueled by media (Carlson, 91). The bias (or incorrect/incomplete) views of news media have contributed to a negative opinion of law enforcement …show more content…

Although everyone loved police officers on September 12, 2001 (McLaughlin), times have changed and the entire criminal justice system as a whole has adjusted. Public policy making and strategies are just the tip of the iceberg for these changes (Dowler). Of 600 polled law enforcement agencies by the International Association of Chiefs of Police's Center for Social Media findings, 92% percent use some form of social media (90% use Facebook, 50% use Twitter, and 37% use YouTube). Ironically, although media caused the negative bias and false expectations, social media is viewed as effective by 2/3 of the departments in the poll in improving community relations, not to mention assisting in investigations (qtd. in Siner). The implementation of dash cameras as well as body cameras by more and more departments can help in solving crimes as well as put the community more at ease because everything is being recorded

Show More
Related

  • Police Brutality In Formation By Trayvon Martin

    1880 Words  | 8 Pages

    “Frequent exposure to media reports of police abuse or corruption is a strong predictor of perceptions of misconduct and supports the belief that is common.” (France-Respers 1). But unfortunately, it also brings me disheartened feelings. Recently, I was on twitter and I stumbled across a video of a young white male who was roughly about twenty to twenty-five years of age who was being handled so aggressively by about six officers while he was NOT resisting.

    Read More

  • Summary Of The Media Underestimate Police Brutality By Michael Novick

    279 Words  | 2 Pages

    Words with harsh connotations towards police officers are used to try and persuade the reader to think the same way. The evidence

    Read More

  • A Rhetorical Analysis Of Susie O Brien

    1089 Words  | 5 Pages

    Have you ever listened to a news story and thought it sounded one-sided? Or have you thought the news didn't seem to report the whole story or the most important aspect of a story? Journalists possess the power to influence a whole group of people with their work. When writers input their opinion, they generate bias. Consecutively, this influences a reader's reaction to a topic.

    Read More

  • Flint Town: State Of Policing Present In Flint, Michigan

    990 Words  | 4 Pages

    Furthermore, according to research conducted by the United States Department of Justice, communities with high levels of disorder possess a more negative outlook on the police (National Institute of Justice, 2003). With Flint being one of the more violent and dangerous towns in Michigan, this further decrease the trust in the police to act impartially and to protect them. This also reaffirms my changed perspective on the police in being appreciative for their incredible efforts and

    Read More

  • Moral Panic Sociology

    919 Words  | 4 Pages

    Also other police methods are used such as increase of name checks. Media and the police have displayed common interests as the both share a symbolic relationship as media are reliant on the police to gain information and police use media to illustrate certain images. The media tend to provide dramatic images of crime and a defensive image of police and their activities. Cohen argues the media “exaggerated attention, exaggerated events, distortion, and stereotyping”, in other word; the media over exaggerate the event and create a greater amount of panic in the beginning of the moral panics. On the other hand, Thornton argues that objectives of moral panics like folk devils are not typically the passive victims of the media.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Police Body Cameras

    1227 Words  | 5 Pages

    With the growing amount of police departments requiring officers to use body cameras in their line of work, this also in theory will increase transparency within the police department. According to James Carless, A survey was given out to an entire police department with over 4,300 people. 75% of the officers claimed that they joined the police to serve their communities. Despite the multiple issues being faced by today’s law enforcement officers, "Two-thirds of the police (66%) and an even larger share of the public (93%) favor the use of body cameras by police to record interactions between officers and the public. Half of officers and two-thirds of the public (66%) say a police officer would be more likely to act appropriately when wearing a body cam”

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Police Body Cameras

    715 Words  | 3 Pages

    Police Body Cameras Should be Taken Into Consideration “ In Rialto, California, a police department has been using body mounted cameras and recording what happens between officers and the public. The use of force by officers declined 60% during the first year the cameras were introduced and citizen complaints against officers dropped by 88% (Safety vision). This statistic proves the debate of police body cameras or not.

    Read More

  • Law Enforcement Stereotypes

    984 Words  | 4 Pages

    At some point, cops were local heroes and real outstanding citizens in their communities. This lead me to question the sudden change in law enforcement stereotypes. The first thing I came across is that too many law enforcement officers have failed at maintaining a good public relation. What I mean by this is that, generally people want to feel comfortable speaking to police and trust isn’t given it is earned. When police officers fail to administer a friendship with their community, trust is never established.

    Read More

  • Police Brutality And Race Essay

    2819 Words  | 12 Pages

    According a study conducted by Chaney and Robertson, American’s attitudes about police officers have changed dramatically in the past ten years. Their study, which appeared in The Journal of African American Studies, suggests that instead of feeling safe and protected by police, many citizens actually feel animosity towards police officers, and are mistrustful and suspicious towards them (Chaney and Robertson 480). This situation seems almost impossible to rectify, especially since law enforcement is given the authority and the privilege to use force not only by the law, but also by society. In order to allow law enforcement officers this power, the public must completely trust those who are protecting them, and must believe that police are using force responsibly and ethically. People naturally assume that the police are well-trained to use force appropriately and fairly without prejudices.

    Read More

  • Hate Against Police Officers

    446 Words  | 2 Pages

    Also that 40 percent of cop killers are black(Bandler, 2016). The media has dramatically affected the view of cops on our general population(Bandler, 2016). A large portion of people today rely solely on specific news stations for information, regardless of their history of credibility and honesty(Bandler, 2016). All news stations at some point have lied and manipulated stories to pull more viewers of a specific demographic(Bandler,

    Read More

  • African American Law Enforcement

    528 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the Criminal Justice System of the United States, there has been a disparity affecting African-American communities and minority groups. Minorities perceive themselves as the main targets of police use of force, racial profiling, and a bias culture within law enforcement. The central argument, is that such actions have an impact on the relationship between police officers and the African American community, causing problems in our society. But does history explain why law enforcement has developed a negative relationship with African-Americans? In our democratic era, police officers are considered a walking symbol of safety and protection.

    Read More

  • Police Brutality Argumentative Essay

    760 Words  | 4 Pages

    The media makes the severity of the situation much worse. In some instances, a situation is represented in way that conveys a case as deceptive. Police misconduct, in this situation, is preposterously distorted. For example, the scene one sees on television may be completely inaccurate. In the article Unpacking Public Attitudes to the Police: Contrasting Perceptions of Misconduct with Traditional Measures of Satisfaction, Miller states, “…research found that people's fear of crime was related to crime content in the newspapers they read…”( 6).

    Read More

  • Diversity In Law Enforcement Essay

    917 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, departments that serve less than 2,500 people are 84.4% white and departments that serve millions are 53.4% white (as cited in Fifield, 2016). Notably, Over the years, a lack of diversity within law enforcement has become a pertinent issue. Notably, the underrepresentation of minorities within law enforcement influences the relationship between communities and law enforcement by engendering distrust with law enforcement. To say nothing of, underrepresentation of minorities have had many people question whether departments mirror a diverse community. Nevertheless, with that being said, underrepresentation of minorities have generated tension and distrust between communities and law enforcement and many believe that police department need to mirror the race composition within their cities.

    Read More

  • Sociological Perspective On Police Analysis

    956 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout this last year there has been mass news and social media coverage involving police officer 's use of deadly force in the United

    Read More

  • Community Policing Research Proposal Paper

    1362 Words  | 6 Pages

    This journal article examines whether a citizen’s individual perception of racial tension, or that of an entire community, leads to a negative attitude toward law enforcement (McNeeley & Grothoff, 2016). Telephone surveys were used in Seattle, Washington, in neighborhoods where there were large proportions of minority residents. These surveys asked various questions, which ranged from gauging overall happiness with police duties, to asking if racial profiling was an issue inside neighborhoods (McNeeley & Grothoff, 2016). The research conducted contributed greatly to current knowledge on the topic, but limitations were also noted, as questions were not asked that could have altered the survey’s

    Read More

More about Media Influence On Law Enforcement

Open Document