Challenges to Overcome in Crime Reporting
Crime is one thing that people know they can rely on the media to cover. Crime is consistently consumed by readers and can provide a reliable source of income for a paper. But all too often, crime is reported at the surface level.
Consider the phenomenon of “Florida Man.” Florida Man is a moniker given to a number of different perpetrators who have all committed strange, even ludicrous, crimes in the state of Florida, leading to national attention. Some choice headlines include “Florida Man Charged With Assault With A Deadly Weapon After Throwing Alligator Through Wendy’s Drive-Thru Window.” These headlines, while good for sensationalist clicks, do not contextualize the greater circumstances which may have led to the crime, and that poses a number of issues.
How can journalists tackle the importance of covering crime while maintaining journalistic integrity and avoiding sensationalism?
Here are some common challenges all journalists will face while covering crime.
BALANCING THE PUBLIC’S RIGHT TO KNOW WITH THE NEED TO PROTECT VICTIMS
When covering crime, journalists must balance the public's right to know with the need to protect the privacy and dignity of victims. This can be especially challenging when covering sensitive crimes such as sexual assault or domestic violence. Journalists must be careful to avoid retraumatizing victims or sharing details that could compromise their safety.
AVOIDING STEREOTYPES AND BIAS
Journalists must be careful to avoid perpetuating stereotypes or biases when reporting on crime. This includes avoiding racial or ethnic stereotypes, as well as avoiding assumptions about the guilt or innocence of the accused. This also includes mental health and poverty crimes. For example, a story about a man running naked down the street to flee abusive mental health care has been sensationalized to the point where it's reductive: journalists must be careful to include the extenuating circumstances that lead to this situation in the first place.
MANAGING SENSATIONALISM
Unfortunately, the idea of a sensationalist media interacting with crime is so present in the collective unconscious of the American people that there are references to it in the media (such as in the Broadway musical Chicago, in which the press act as an extension to the “show” put on by the justice system). Crime stories often attract a lot of attention from audiences, which leads to engagement and revenue for newsrooms. Journalists must be careful to avoid exaggerating or sensationalizing details of a crime in order to generate clicks or views. This can lead to inaccurate reporting or even harm to innocent people.
PROTECTING SOURCES
Crime usually involves at least one party whose safety was in clear and present danger at some point during the commission of the crime. Confidential sources must be protected, and are protected under the law: Forty-nine states and the District of Columbia have shield laws, where journalists are protected from revealing their sources to government officials or while under oath. Shield laws can and must be invoked when the occasion calls for it in order to ensure the safety of parties involved.
ACCESSING INFORMATION
Journalists often face challenges in accessing information about crimes, especially if the crime is still under investigation. Police departments and other authorities may be hesitant to share information in order to protect the integrity of the investigation. Journalists must navigate these challenges while still providing accurate and timely reporting to their audiences. If necessary, journalists can file a Freedom of Information Act Request to legally obtain information about the crime.
While crime is something most journalists can expect to cover, covering it sensitively is its own challenge. Being thorough and resourceful is a must while balancing the law and the need to communicate clear and concise information. These challenges must be faced in order to set a standard of journalistic integrity throughout crime reporting, and to make non-sensationalized crime stories the norm.
