Media is one of the most fundamental platforms for reporting on the crimes of serial killers and sex offenders. Media is used to create a perception among the public about serial killers and sexual offenders. The public should be provided with accurate information concerning sexual offenders and serial killers so as not to influence community views (Buckley, 2020). On the other hand, social stigma plays a significant role in determining the public’s perception of the offenders. Much research has been carried out to show whether or not the media is fair and accurate in portraying serial killers and sexual offenders. The studies reveal that the media usually gives a different impression to people about these criminals. The media portray sex offenders and serial killers differently through various means.
The portrayal involves media reporting of sex offenders and serial killers sensationally and shockingly. Media has depicted the insight about sexual offenders and serial killers as worse people, thus creating a different representation of them in the community. One of the ways that media guarantees that the community gets the information they need is to use the acts as headlines in their stories. The information is provided by capturing the sensational aspects of the case. Additionally, the media has used various aspects, such as movies and TV shows, to portray information about serial killers and sexual offenders. The dramatization of these individuals has a significant role in the community. The dramas can glorify the actions, leading to a different perception of them by the community.
Another way the media portrays serial killers and sexual offenders is by simplifying the actions they have committed so that the community understands better. The simplification of the actions can be done effectively by ensuring a better understanding of the causes of the individuals to commit such acts. One of the major simplifications of the media for such actions is by naming them psychopaths, lonely people, or troubled at a young age. By adopting such simplification methods, social media ensures that the information they pass to these individuals portrays such actions as associated with either of the simplification criteria. The simplification has an impact on how the community perceives the individuals. The community develops stereotyping, which can be used to describe all criminals’ motivations for committing various offenses (Rossmo, 2021).
The media also use victim-centered presentations to indicate the impact of the offenders on the community. The media intends to share information about the impact of the crimes committed and how they have affected different people and families. By providing the information based on the victim’s side, the media indicates that actions must be undertaken to ensure such activities will not repeat themselves. However, sharing information about the offenders based on the argument on the victim’s side implies that action must be taken against such offenses. It is the role of the responsible parties, including the government, to be involved in implementing policies that ensure the prevention of repetitive scenarios. When the implications of the crimes point to a certain gender or race, stereotyping for such groups might arise.
According to research conducted by Majer (2023), there are various ways in which the media portrays serial killers. One of the ways indicated in the research is by making serial killers celebrities by praising them for the actions they committed. The media ensures that the information passed to the public is according to their needs and might not portray the actual occurrence of activities. This is a significant aspect of the media that indicates its role in shaping their needs. It is essential to ensure that the media does not focus on the perception but on the facts. For instance, movies and TV shows concerning serial killers might provide different narrations from the actual events committed by the person. This makes the public develop a perception that serial killers are misunderstood and that they did not commit such crimes. On the contrary, they have committed such actions by the media, creating a new narrative about them. This study indicates that the media’s portrayal does not consider the factual matters of the activities concerning the person. It is, therefore, essential to re-evaluate the information provided by the media concerning serial killers. This will help in eliminating the possible misunderstanding that might occur among the public concerning serial killers.
A contrasting study by Navarro and Higgins (2023) demonstrates that the multidimensional way of presenting serial killers and sexual offenders in the media can be influenced and limited by crime. The researchers investigated several newspapers on how the media covers sexual offenders. The researchers analyzed six daily newspapers. Based on the findings, the presentation of the crimes is largely based on the scripts used to describe the crimes. Nevertheless, carefully analyzing the criteria that have been applied in the analysis of the given many sexual assault cases is essential to determine the best way of describing the sex offenders in the newspaper. The newspapers’ involvement shows that people gain more knowledge about the facts of the issues through the research papers and the presentations they are based on. The authors, in so doing, indicate that the media is a tool to ensure that the sexual offenders are described appropriately depending on the seriousness of the offenses they have done. Consequently, the newspapers exclude themselves from following some norms in filling the public with information. This leads to reporting accurate information, which means that the media can also accurately portray crimes that the offender has committed
(2020) and analyze whether the depiction of serial killers is exaggerated in the media or not. Among the main points analyzed is how the media covers crime through news. The media uses news to transmit incidents where crimes have happened. It is, however, essential to ensure a better understanding of the impact of such news on people’s perceptions. The bias of the journalists has become a major concern for the presentation of the news about serial killers. There is bias, and the journalists want to accomplish their objectives in the news. The attempt to make the news suit their needs makes them irrelevant. As a result, the crime provided by the biased journalists will be inaccurate. The created perception of serial killers will also be wrong. This makes the crime news unreliable in making the perceptions of serial killers. The involvement of the entertainment industry in crime movies has also been a major concern in the representation of serial killers. The choice of information to portray in the entertainment industry to make the films thrilling might differ from the actual occurrence of the events (Latora, 2020). However, since the entertainment industry is concerned about their interests, the information they portray might be untrue and not depict the actual events surrounding the serial killers. Also, the activities and actions of the serial killers are portrayed in true crime. The flow of the activities in the true crime can be different from the actual occurrence of the events (Latora, 2020). Therefore, the information provided by the media will be untrue and will not provide the actual aspects surrounding serial killers.
From the analysis of the various research and findings from different authors, it is evident that the representation of serial killers and sexual offenders can be accurate or inaccurate depending on how the information has been presented. In the entertainment industry, serial killers and sexual offenders can be exaggerated to meet the needs of the industry in passing the information. Furthermore, bias among journalists towards a certain gender or race can influence their decisions when they are making the news. The bias will contribute significantly to the information accuracy and will create a different perception of serial killers and sexual offenders. On the contrary, some newspapers provide accurate information concerning the crimes, making the media representation accurate.
References
Buckley, M. (2020). Quantitative analysis of public perceptions of female sex offenders (Doctoral dissertation, Walden University).
Latora, M. M. (2020). Netflix and Kill: A framing and Uses and Gratifications comparative analysis of serial killer representations in the media (Doctoral dissertation, Illinois State University).
Majer, E. (2023). The Representation of Serial Killers in the Media (Doctoral dissertation, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek. Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Department of English Language and Literature).
Navarro, J. C., & Higgins, E. M. (2023). Media frames and the sex offender: A qualitative content analysis from six major metropolitan areas. Journal of Crime and Justice, 46(3), 313-330.
Rossmo, D. K. (2021). Sexual Offense Investigations: Rethinking the Gateway to the Criminal Justice System. Criminal Investigations of Sexual Offenses: Techniques and Challenges, 255-259.
write