The media is responsible for maintaining a balance between their interests and the needs and rights of crime victims, the public, and defendants. This balance can be achieved through policies and guidelines designed to ensure that the media serves the public and respects the privacy and fairness of those involved in a criminal act (Ras, 2021). These regulations should come from various sources, including legislation, industry standards, and voluntary codes of conduct.
Media outlets should create an ethical code of conduct that adheres to the Media Victim Providers Guide, which outlines guidelines for covering stories related to victims of crime. This includes respecting victims’ privacy, communicating with victims with sensitivity and respect, avoiding sensationalism, and notifying victims of their right to decline interviews (Ras, 2021). Additionally, they should strive to be impartial and provide balanced coverage of all parties involved.
These policies and guidelines could have impacted the recent coverage of highly-publicized victimization. For example, following the 2016 presidential election, there was a surge in hate crimes widely reported in the media (New York Amsterdam News, 2016). To balance the interests of crime victims, the public, and defendants, broadcasters should have reported on the incidents with impartiality and accuracy. According to an article from the New York Amsterdam News, press coverage of hate crimes should tell a story and provide facts without resorting to sensationalism or victim blaming (Staff, 2016). This could have been achieved by avoiding language sensationalizing the incident, using facts and data to provide context, and including voices from all sides of the story.
In conclusion, news outlets must balance their interests and the requirements and rights of crime victims, the general public, and defendants. This can be done by establishing rules and regulations that put accuracy and respect first. By doing this, media outlets would have been able to present fair coverage of highly-publicized victimization, like the rise in hate crimes after the 2016 presidential election.
The role and responsibility of the news and social media in encouraging/discouraging hate crimes, informing the public about criminal incidents, and reporting on hoax hate crimes is one of immense importance. The press has a large influence over the public and has become a platform for hate speech and the spreading false information, which can lead to an increase in hatred (Justice, 2002). Social media, while being a source of information, can also spread hate and incite violence.
To discourage these acts, news and social media outlets should strive to report accurate information and provide a platform for victims of violent acts motivated by prejudice or discrimination to tell their stories. The victims should be treated with respect, and their stories should be told with sensitivity (Justice, 2002). Media outlets should work to provide balanced coverage of hate crime incidents, looking at the facts, the victim’s experience, and the potential for education and reform.
The media should also take extra care when reporting on hoax hate crimes. These hoaxes can damage victims of hate crimes and lead to an increase in hate crimes. Media outlets should investigate hoax hate crime reports and not report them without thoroughly verifying the facts (Roche et al., 2015). In addition, media outlets should take extra care to avoid perpetuating stereotypes and stigmas in their coverage of these incidents (Roche et al., 2015). They should focus on the facts of the case and strive to provide coverage based on facts, not fabrications.
To encourage a respectful and productive dialogue around hate crimes and to respect victims, the press should put in place policies and practices that promote accuracy, objectivity, and sensitivity. These policies should include a code of ethics for journalists and editors, guidelines for reporting on hate crime incidents, and a commitment to avoiding stereotypes and stigmas in coverage (Justice, 2002). With these policies and practices in place, news outlets can help to discourage hate crimes and to provide a platform for victims of hate crimes to tell their stories.
References
A New York Amsterdam News. (2016). Web.
Justice, S. (2002). A news media guide for Victim Services Providers Preface. Web.
Ras, I. A. (2021). Reporting crime and capitalism: Techniques of neutralization in a corpus of Corporate Fraud News. Capitalism, Crime, and Media in the 21st Century, 77–96. Web.
Roche, S. P., Pickett, J. T., & Gertz, M. (2015). The Scary World of Online News? internet news exposure and public attitudes toward crime and Justice. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 32(2), 215–236. Web.
Staff, H. (2016). Update: 1,094 bias-related incidents in the month following the election. Southern Poverty Law Center. Web.