Moral panic in media occurs when there is a situation or certain type of behavior displayed that is highly concerning, leading to the public, political, and mass media pressuring authorities or some other entity to intervene. Moral panic typically has 5 key characteristics, which are concern, hostility, consensus, disproportionality, and volatility (Messick & Aranda, 2020). Effectively, due to perception and societal values, certain actions are regarded as extremely wrong, creating a disproportionate public outcry, pressure, and panic. However, moral panic situations as portrayed by media often lack full context, in-depth details, or full investigative reports – focusing on sensationalism.
Due to several high-profile cases recently of police misconduct or excessive use of force, there is grave concern surrounding police practices, and the need for reform is evident. While these concerns are legitimate and should be publicized to create public and policy pressure on the police, there is also a detrimental effect. The media chasing after headlines now presents the police as an institution that is wholly incompetent, aggressive and disregards human life. Sensationalism seeks to present every law enforcement misstep as evidence of deep-rooted racism, corruption, or other negative aspects. The media attempts to generate outrage to drive moral panic, which benefits them first and foremost due to increased viewership. However, as a result, the moral panic generates a highly detrimental public perception of police and undermines trust in law enforcement institutions. People may be reluctant to involve the police in critical incidents where they are needed. Meanwhile, in other cases, there may be harassment of police and either violent encounters or unnecessary barriers preventing officers from doing their jobs (Graziano, 2019).
As mentioned, even though there are numerous cases of police misconduct and abuse, in the grand scheme of law enforcement in the US, these represent less than a percent of officers involved. However, the attention and perception of police stem from these cases alone. Unarguably, the media must report on police misconduct, but it holds a certain responsibility. Currently, the status quo is challenging because of media framing; no matter what, it seems that in many controversial situations, the police are scapegoated no matter what is done (Nilsson & Enander, 2019). That is because the mainstream media strongly influences public perception and sometimes actions, such as protests and civil unrest. The media has the responsibility to avoid sensationalism and present the truth objectively, with all known facts. By inciting moral panic to benefit its views, it compromises the very element of public safety due to the negative consequences outlined above. The media also has some responsibility to present the situation to the public in a light that is truthful, meaning not exaggerating details and avoiding portraying a whole department or force as immoral. Finally, just as negative aspects should be reported, so should the positive, highlighting the various good that police officers do for communities. This allows for balanced coverage and helps to avoid the bias necessary for journalistic integrity.
When dealing with media, police leaders can be as transparent as possible within the aspects of the law. Leaders should engage in conducting internal investigations as well as cooperate with any external investigations of potential incidents. Leaders should admit mistakes when they are made and demonstrate areas of possible growth. To mitigate moral panic, leaders can provide greater information, including audio and footage from body cameras, to demonstrate the full context of any situation or encounter. Measures such as body cams, periodic protocol reviews, and consistent training for officers that seek to prevent police misconduct are some actions that can be taken and presented to the public, including before any incident happens. Therefore, if a situation of moral panic occurs, there is evidence that attempts were made at reform, and it is potentially the actions of one officer compromising.
References
Graziano, L. M. (2019). News media and perceptions of police: a state-of-the-art-review. Policing: An International Journal, 42(2), 209–225. Web.
Messick, K. J., & Aranda, B. E. (2020). The role of moral reasoning & personality in explaining lyrical preferences.PLOS ONE, 15(1), e0228057. Web.
Nilsson, S., & Enander, A. (2019). “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t”: Media frames of responsibility and accountability in handling a wildfire.Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 28(1), 69-82. Web.