Since the crime news attracts the people's curiosity, crime has been one of the main news resources. Although crime reporting has the positive functions like social integration, stabilization and accommodation of norms, it has side effects as well.
Th...
Since the crime news attracts the people's curiosity, crime has been one of the main news resources. Although crime reporting has the positive functions like social integration, stabilization and accommodation of norms, it has side effects as well.
This study aimed for the Korean press's crime reporting attitude, for the purpose, two newspapers - Josun Ilbo and Hangyeore Shinmun - are selected and compared the same crime reports with each other. Among the crime news, this study focused on serious crime, therefore, two serial killing cases and two arson cases that appeared in a series are selected.
In many established studies, a tendency to sensational crime reporting, a violation of reported person's privacy and the right to get an impartial trial, a civil right's violation are indicated. Focusing on these problems, this study tried to find out if the difference in political position of daily newspapers affects the crime reporting attitude. In view of the results so far achieved, this difference does not affect those problems indicated considerably, for that reason, what policy can be under consideration to improve these problems is inquired.
The most important reason resulting these problems in crime reporting practice is the competitive structure of the Korean press company to accomplish the pursuit of profits. Although the crime reporting satisfies with the right to know, gives the direction to criminal justice policy, offers the institutional equipment to control the criminal justice and contributes to making the legal and moral norm of society, crime reporting aimed chiefly at entertaining makes the obscure anxiety, affect the fear of crime, furthermore, distrusts the policing of investigative organizations. This tendency cannot be overlooked for its serious effects. Moral awareness of the journalist, and the relationship between the investigative organizations and the press can be indicated for further reasons.
To improve this reporting practice and to incite an overall change in reporting system, citizen's voluntary participation is needed. An recognition that problems resulted from crime reporting are our problems and they can damage us all is needed and arousing the public response and the support of the investigative organization and the press can improve the malpractice for decades.