Excessive coverage of crime in the news instills a feeling of fear in American society. Everyday, individuals arrive at their homes and immediately turn on the television to find out what is occurring in the world around them. As soon as they turn on the television they are bombarded with stories about sniper shootings, serial rapists, and school shootings. Producers search all over country looking for victims of violence willing to talk about what happened to them. The victims that show emotion tend to receive the repeat offers, and they may be asked to appear again when a similar incident happens. The way in which crime is covered can often stir up emotional feelings in people more than the actual crime itself. This was especially true with the way the media covered the Columbine shootings. For days after the event

occurred, viewers where treated with endless repeats of close-ups on the victims telling the horror stories of how it was to be held captive and massacred by their own peers. This kind of coverage was so extensive, that viewers could not escape feeling as if they were part of it.

Stereotypes in the media don’t stop at minorities. Young people are unfairly portrayed as violent and out of control by the news media. Many viewers believe this because the popular opinion is that today’s children are more violent and likely to commit crimes than previous generations. Contrary to popular opinion, youth crime rates are actually declining. Out of all the news stories on local television in California, seven out of ten involve youth. At the same time, youth make up 14.1% of violent arrests while only 2% of victims were victims of violence of perpetrators of violent crime (Dorfman and Schiraldi 2). Our youth would be far better off if the media highlighted their positive contributions and discussed stories on programs that help them, instead of portraying youth in the violent spotlight.

The graphic depictions of brutal crimes that encourage emotions of rage and fear in individuals are unavoidable. The news media devotes proportionally more airtime to crime coverage than its actual occurrence. This is especially true in the case of violent crime. Homicides account for two-te

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