Missing Children and the Media

 With the recent media focus on Kiesha Abrahams and considering that our most recent topic examined victims in the media, I decided to discuss this in my blog this week. In our examination of the hierarchy of deserving and undeserving victims it is clear that the elderly and children are definetly at the top, being the 'ideal' victim: defenceless, unkowing and worthy of sympathy. Whilst at the very other end of the spectrum, youths, say, that are injured in drunken brawls, tend to have less focus on their victim status in the media. Depending on what role the person plays in their own victimsation will directly effect how the crime and the people involved are portrayed in the media.

 Which brings me to missing children and their representation in the media. When these stories are reported in the news the child and their family is always foregrounded. Wardle notes 'a change from photographs of the offender being the most regularly used images in the media to photographs of the victim and victims' families being most common' (Wardle 2007 cited in Marsh and Melville 2009, p. 106). Children are represented as innocent victims which the image of the 'ideal' victim demands.

 The media can have a particularly positive influence in the cases of missing children. Information about possible suspects can reach the wider public as a consequence of the fact that the media reaches a massive audience on a daily basis. One of the mediums that allows for this is, of course, the internet; being easily accessable and the fastest growing form of media available. The follwoing is a link to a site on which the public can show their support though posting messages or donating funds and giving information that may be relevant in the search for Madeleine.

http://www.findmadeleine.com/home.html

Recently, the investigation into the disappearance of Kiesha Abrahams has reached a fever pitch . Last Friday, the parents of Kiesha were charged with her murder. Since she had been reported missing in August 2010, the police have finally reached the conclusion that the possibility of abduction or that she had wandered off in the middle of the night must be ruled out. The images hundreds of people gathered around candlelight vigils has been popularly expressed in the media over the past couple of weeks. Moreover, the same sort of support has been shown by the public in the construction of a facebook page titled: 'Help Find Kiesha Abrahams'.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Help-Find-Kiesha-Abraham-Organisation/103096633081220

References:
Marsh, I. and Melvelle, G. (2009). Crime, Justice and the Media 1st ed. London: Routledge. p. 106

Detroit 187: Yet another police drama.

 I noticed that this week, in the lectures, readings and tutorials, that we didn't really discuss in much depth the fictional representation of police in the media and that much of the focus was on the representation on police in the news and crime 'faction' programs. So I decided it would be fitting to discuss this in my blog this week. It was also conveniantly coincidental that this week's topic (police and the media) coincided with the debut of they very latest poice drama: Detroit 187. Apparently the show is really popular in the US and was really well received over here too (here comes my cynical side) and why wouldn't it? It's set in a part of the US that has a high rate of violent street crime, creating the perfect arena to watch cops at work; fighting crime and delivering justice for the victims and the communtiy. For those of you who missed out, here's a trailer:





 It's highly typical that the show tracks the investigations made by the city's homicide unit, a team of highly trained professional investigators. 'The fictional presentation of crime control tends to reinforce the stereotype that police work is mainly consumed with investigation, detection and capture of criminals. Downplaying the mundane, less visible aspects of daily work, or ignoring them altogether...' (White and Perrone 2010: 36). We were shown car chases, foot chases, hostage situations and wacky interrogation methods, the works! The cops are portrayed as heros with abilities and powers that normal people don't have. In turn, what is reinforced is that we the public are safe, because these guys are out there catching the baddies and locking them up for good.

 One of the points raised by Strath in the lecture was that the police are often shown as kind and compassionate people. A scene from Detroit 187 showed an investigator holding the hand of the victim's mother whilst they delivered the news that her daughter had been killed. Again, one of the cops delivers a highly emotional speech when diffusing a hostage situation. Clearly portraying that cops are great at their jobs; not only do they have these superhuman qualities that give them the ability to stop criminals dead in their tracks, they also have a very human side that allows for human compassion. The coupling of these characteristic traits conveys a very clear message to the public: the police force are a force to be reckoned with.

References

White, R. and Perrone, S. (2010). Crime, Criminality and Criminal Justice Melbourne: Oxford University Press.