Consumption of crime: Why do we do it?

By Sophie Clarke 

I will be the first to admit that I avidly consume any TV show, newspaper article or story about crime.  Watching ‘Law and order’, ‘The Wire’ and even ‘To catch a predator’, or reading crime reports in the Sydney Morning Herald are all regular parts of my weekly routine. However it is widely acknowledged in the field of criminology that these depictions of media that I so readily engage with are anything but infallible and completely truthful.

Yet, admittedly, I have still found that despite the fact I know how untruthful the depictions of crime are in the media I read or watch, I still readily continue in my consumption. I will still watch police realty shows knowing full well that the monotonous paperwork driven routine won’t be shown. This has become particularly pertinent when following the recent trial and sentencing of former ‘Hey Dad’ star Robert Hughes.

Like most other heavily reported crime stories, the Robert Hughes case fulfills a number of Jewkes’ 2011 criteria for a newsworthy story. These include sex, the vilification of a celebrity, children and risk (p. 39). I recognized them embedded within the case as soon as I began reading various articles on it, yet I still easily reached my monthly limit on free articles available on news websites.

The case focused upon several allegations by five women that Robert Hughes had sexually assaulted them while they were underage during the 1980-90s (Nadin 2014). Hughes was sentenced in May 2014, drawing his highly publicized trial to an end (Wells, 2014). He was awarded a minimum non-parole period of six years and is eligible for parole in 2020. The rhetoric of the news articles and television headlines was focused upon two things; creating a binary opposition between Hughes as a predator and the innocent female victims and secondly that justice was finally achieved for the deserving and innocent “angel” female victims (Meyers 1997).

The Robert Hughes story could almost be called clichéd in the manner it was reported in the news. It furthered the stereotype of child sex offenders, implying that every child sex offender is similar to Hughes in the following ways: that they have victimized an unimaginable number of children before they are caught and that all child sex offenders are unrepentant pedophiles (Richards 2011, p. 2).   

 

Robert Hughes Source: Daily Telegraph 

The question I was left with after the media hype surrounding the case declined was why was I so engaged with crime reports of the case, despite knowing the myths it perpetuates? Kohm 2009 identifies that there is often emotional connection often made to crime on behalf of the viewer/reader, and that there has been a revival of emotional discourse in the 21^st century regarding crime in the media (p. 189). However, Gray, Jackson and Farrall 2011 suggest that emotional interest in crime is both common and intrinsically linked to a fear of crime; however I would argue the emotional connection I have to the narratives in crime stories are based upon fascination rather than fear (pg 90).

I would suggest that I empathize and are fascinated with the narratives it promotes, such as the uplifting story of the victim being recognized by the criminal justice system, or the narrative of the offender finally receiving their just desserts. This idea is similar to Peelo’s  argument that the framing of crime stories encourages consumers to “align” with victim narratives and engage with such popular public narratives (2006).

Therefore, while I now have a greater ability to be critical about the crime media I engage with, it does not dissuade me from still finding enjoyment and entertainment in the articles I read and crime television shows I watch.

Reference list:

Gray, E, Jackson, J, Farrall, S 2011 ‘Feeling and functions in the fear of crime’, British Journal of Criminology, vol. 52, pp. 75-94.

Jewkes, Y 2011, Media and Crime, 2^nd edn, Sage, London.

Kohm, S 2009 ‘Naming, shaming and criminal justice: Mass- mediated humiliation as entertainment and punishment’, Crime Media and Culture, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 188-205.

Marsh, I. and Melville, G 2009 Crime, Justice and the Media, 1st edn, Routledge, London.

Meyers, M 1997 News Coverage of Violence Against Women: Engendering Blame, Sage, Thousand Oaks California.

Nadin, M 2014, ‘Hey Dad! Star Robert Hughes sentenced to at least six years for sexual assaults’, The Australian, 16 May 2014. Available here: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/hey-dad-star-robert-hughes-sentenced-to-at-least-six-years-for-sexual-assaults/story-e6frg6n6-1226920383672

Peelo, M 2006 ‘Framing Homicide Narratives in Newspapers: Mediated Witness and the Construction of Virtual Victimhood’, Crime, Media, Culture, vol. 2, no.2, pp. 159–75.

Richards, K 2011 ‘Misperceptions about child sex offenders’, Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, no. 429, pp. 1-7.

Wells, J 2014, ‘Robert Hughes, former Hey Dad! Star, to serve at least six years in jail over child sexual and indecent assault’, ABC News Online, 17 May 2014. Avaliable here: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-05-16/robert-hughes-to-serve-at-least--six-years-on-sex-charges/5426126.