The mainstream media is critical in shaping how people view most aspects of their society. To a great extent, how controversial issues are covered by traditional and new forms of media influences how the public views these issues and who they believe are perpetrators and victims. Hate crime is a critical issue that most communities face, and it often attracts conflicting opinions from the media (Group work week 1). For traditional media such as newspapers and television, views on the nature of the crime and its justification often differ depending on the political leanings of the outlet covering the crime. On social media, views are also likely to vary widely. The media’s coverage of hate crimes generally influences how the public views it as an issue in their community and, as a result, the number of new cases that may be recorded.
The fact that the mainstream media often associates most forms of hate crime with politics is a critical factor that impacts how the public ends up viewing it. Media coverage of hate crimes is often aligned with common political ideologies and the political parties they are associated with. The media tends to influence political thought based on how specific issues are framed (Group Work Week 3). People who hold certain political ideologies are, for example, more likely to be viewed as perpetrators of a specific hate crime. In their article on antisemitism and its prevalence in the United States, Edwards and Alfaro (2022) highlight the fact that antisemitism and its associated hate crimes are closely related to national politics. The article explores the link between certain political beliefs and the prevalence of antisemitism and its associated hate crimes.
A 2015 article on Islamophobia by the BBC also shows that the media often associates hate crimes with political ideologies. People with certain political beliefs are, for example, more likely to hold anti-Islamic views when compared to others. The article generally shows that conservative political beliefs often fuel Islamophobia. Both before and after campaigns, politicians will often associate Islam with terror and other forms of violence. A personal bias is therefore created that can lead to hate crimes (Group work week 2). Part of the media often supports these views and can reinforce beliefs among the general public that Muslims are likely to engage in acts of terror or other violent crimes. The media’s coverage of hate crimes also often aims to explore the reasons for the crime and provide a justification or condemnation of the actions of the perpetrators.
Hate crimes reported in the mainstream media often include a detailed analysis of what are believed to be the events that led to the crime. In some cases, hate crimes are reported in the media as a form of punishment for what are considered to be illegal or unethical acts by people in the target population. In the BBC’s article, acts of violence against Muslims are, for example, more frequent after a major terror attack by groups that are believed to hold Islamic views. Edwards and Alfaro (2022) also show that cases of antisemitism are more prevalent when those in the target groups engage in controversial or unethical acts. The public, as a result, ends up viewing hate crimes as a response to acts of aggression by the target group. This can be misleading, as some cases of hate crime are not related to external events but to beliefs and negative stereotypes held by the perpetrator.
How the media addresses stereotypes that are responsible for hate crimes also influences the number of new cases. Hate crimes are likely more prevalent in areas where the media validates them or does little to highlight their inaccuracies. This is especially true for traditional media forms such as newspapers and television, which are viewed as being more objective and unbiased. If these outlets accept negative stereotypes that contribute to hate crimes, then hate crimes are more likely to be common. According to the BBC’s article, the media is, for example, partly to blame for failing to adequately address stereotypes that contribute to Islamophobia. Objective and unbiased coverage of hate crimes by the media, on the other hand, can aid the public in identifying and addressing negative stereotypes that contribute to new cases. Negative stereotypes about a specific group that are widely held in a specific community are often to blame for cases of hate crimes (Iganski & Levin, 2015). Without the public being made aware of the fallacies and inaccuracies associated with these stereotypes, cases of hate crime are likely to become more prevalent in the community.
The media can aid in addressing the issue by educating the public on the inaccuracies of commonly held negative stereotypes about certain groups in the community. The media can, for example, be impactful in highlighting the need for communities to recognize violence against women as a hate crime that needs to be jointly addressed (Iganski & Levin, 2015). In their article, Edwards and Alfaro generally show that antisemitism is reinforced by negative stereotypes based on fallacies. The BBC (2015) also shows that Islamophobia is unjustified and relies on inaccurate and unfair generalizations. The media can, therefore, help people identify fallacies and stereotypes that contribute to hate crimes.
The coverage of hate crimes by the media also ends up influencing how the public views these crimes. Studies have shown that certain hate crimes are unlikely to receive significant media attention and can be treated as ordinary occurrences (Schweppe et al., 2020). Attacks on the LGBTQ community, for example, which are significantly high, don’t receive a great deal of media coverage. At the same time, some forms of hate crimes, such as disablist violence, are relatively unknown (Iganski & Levin, 2015). The BBC (2015), for example, notes that Islamophobia has become a common aspect of American culture and is not perceived as being negative by a significant proportion of people in the country. This encourages more people to hold negative stereotypes about Muslims as the target group, which later on translates to more Muslims being victims of hate crimes.
On the other hand, if the media adequately covers a specific form of hate crime and shows how serious the harm suffered by victims is, the number of new cases can be significantly reduced over time. The media generally plays a critical role in influencing the views held by the public about specific forms of hate crime. Through their coverage of individual incidents, the media can either highlight the dangers of negative stereotypes that lead to hate crimes or validate them, leading to new cases in the future. Most media coverage of hate crimes also tends to focus on politics and the role it plays in shaping the views that the public holds about target groups. Most traditional media outlets are generally unbiased and will highlight negative stereotypes that contribute to hate crimes. Social media publications are, however, difficult to control and often end up spreading and reinforcing negative stereotypes that can lead to hate crimes.
References
BBC. (2015). Viewpoint: Islamophobia has a long history in the US. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34385051
Edwards, J., Alfaro, M. (2022). McConnell says there is no space in GOP for ‘white supremacists or antisemitism’ after two House Republicans participate in white nationalist conferences. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/02/28/marjorie-taylor-greene-white- nationalist-conference/
Group Work Week One Notes
Group Work Week Three Notes
Group Work Week Two Notes
Iganski, P., & Levin, J. (2015). Hate crime: A global perspective. Routledge.
Schweppe, J., Haynes, A., & MacIntosh, E. M. (2020). What is measured matters: The value of third-party hates crime monitoring. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, pp. 26, 39-59.
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