How Journalists Can Transform Crime Coverage
Over the past few decades, the United States has experienced a significant decrease in its overall crime rate, yet this has often gone unnoticed by the average American. Despite the statistical evidence that crime has been on the decline, media coverage of criminal activities, especially homicides, has skyrocketed. In addition, there is a troubling trend of communities of color being at the forefront of crime reporting. Surprisingly, journalism plays a role in perpetuating these misconceptions and this disproportionate focus on crime incidents, which often lacks context, community perspectives, and raises questions about the role of journalism in accurately informing the public.
Striving for Reform
Although newsrooms have made attempts to reform their approaches to reporting on crime, they have faced challenges due to numerous factors such as financial pressures, ingrained reporting habits, and the allure of sensational stories. Newsrooms considered removing older content—a sizable portion of which concerned crime stories reported following initial arrests—but backed down from that idea, even in cases where the charges were reduced or dismissed.
News organizations have removed mugshot galleries because the way mugshots were used in reporting contributed to false and damaging stereotypes; many have adopted an elevated standard of when to even use them, if at all. Even so, the aforementioned challenges continue to exist.
Putting Plans into Action
To address these issues with crime reporting, Kelly McBride and Cheryl Thompson-Morton led a program called Transforming Local Crime Reporting Into Public Safety Journalism and joined forces to reimagine journalists’ work and its impact. McBride is the senior vice president and chair of the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership at The Poynter Institute and Thompson-Morton is the Black Media Initiative Director for the Center for Community Media at the Newmark J-School.
The program meets weekly for 23 weeks and its purpose is to revolutionize newsrooms’ perspective on crime and community. 65 newsrooms are taking part so far. Those 23 weeks offer ample opportunities for organizations to collaborate with specialists, incorporate practical case studies, and receive tailored assignments specific to them. It also helps organizations switch from a mentality of “if it bleeds it leads” to prioritizing public safety while shifting the focus from shallow to deep coverage.
Participating newsrooms are encouraged to rethink their approach to crime coverage and prioritize stories that promote community understanding, accountability, and solutions. By prioritizing collaboration, utilizing data-driven reporting, and engaging with the community, news organizations can use the program to successfully overhaul their coverage to more effectively serve the public interest.
Tales of Triumph
The Lexington Herald-Leader and Utah's KSL are among the program’s success stories, highlighting the impact of the initiative’s transformative approach.
KSL has now improved its transparency with the community. Additionally, the organization is demonstrating more openness with its audience regarding information provided by law enforcement. The Lexington Herald-Leader developed a heightened awareness of the importance of their reporting by shifting their focus to police accountability and enhancing public awareness of safety and community matters, among other changes. These organizations have not only improved the quality of their journalism but also strengthened their connection with audiences and facilitated beneficial changes within their communities.
Initiatives like the Transforming Local Crime Reporting program offer a roadmap for responsible and impactful journalism. By placing emphasis on public safety and engaging with the community, news organizations can preserve their journalistic integrity while also serving as catalysts for beneficial societal progress.
