Thursday, April 3, 2008
Over easter
I plan to start writing my essay, because as well as saving time later, it will help me to work out whether there is anything else I still need to do, and if there is, I will have time to do it.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
The Jamie Bulger case: More media links
This information came from the site http://www.angelfire.com/ks/KillerDollFactory/media.txt
Although this is a personal blog, which suggests it is merely one persons opinion and therefore not that trustworthy, it uses newspaper articles to back up the point about the media sensationalising crimes.
POSITION
Despite the fact that the boys had a long history of violent, anti-social behaviour, Chucky, with his violence, and remorselessness provided a suitable scapegoat. Those kids were time bombs. If they hadn't killed Jamie Bulger, they would've killed someone else, a little way down the track.
ARTICLES
In the closing scenes, however, are six deadly similairties.
1. Part of the story takes place in the woodland where young army cadets are playing war games. Instead of real bullets, they use paint pellets colored red and blue. If you are hit with a pellet, you are "dead". Chucky is hit in the face with a pellet and marked with blue paint.
2. Chucky is lured by a boy who calls out to him and runs away to entice him to follow.
3. Chucky's face is terrible mutilated during an attempt to kill him. Some is sliced off with a scythe.
4. Chucky doesn't lie down despite his terrible injuries, so his attackers have to finish him off.
5. The final scenes of violence in Child's Play 3 take part in a fun fair which featues a railway track. Others are filmed in a cemetery.
6. The doll is destroyed by the spinning blades of a gigantic rotor which dismembers it.
1. Shortly before they killed Jamie, Thompson and Venables squirted him in the face with blue paint thye had stolen.
2. The boys lured Jamie to join them in the same way.
3. Jamie's face was mutilated by the boys who attacked him with a 10cm wide metal bar.
4. Jamie also refused to give up when confronted by the two older boys
5. The final stages of Jamie's life were played out on a railway track beside a cemetary.
6. Jamie's body was crushed and dismembered by a train running over it.
Police were also told that a Roald Dahl story, The Swan, available in Liverpool schools and libraries, foretold the death. In the story, two bullies abduct a younger child and drag him to a railway embankment where a train almost kills him and he is threatened with drowning. He eventually flies to safety.
Justice Morland, passing sentence on Wednesday ,said: "It is not for me to pass judgement on their upbringing, but I suspect exposure to violent video films may, in part, be an explanation"
BRITAIN PUTS VIDEO NASTIES IN THE DOCK
British Sky Broadcasting cancelled a screeing of the film tonight. It has shown the film twice recently.Meanwhile, the Irish Republic's biggest video renting chain withdrew Child's Play 1, 2 and 3 from its shelves.
This shows the influence that newspapers can have on other media platforms, with Sky Broadcasting removing the film from its scheduling in order not to cause a controversy.
Although this is a personal blog, which suggests it is merely one persons opinion and therefore not that trustworthy, it uses newspaper articles to back up the point about the media sensationalising crimes.
POSITION
Despite the fact that the boys had a long history of violent, anti-social behaviour, Chucky, with his violence, and remorselessness provided a suitable scapegoat. Those kids were time bombs. If they hadn't killed Jamie Bulger, they would've killed someone else, a little way down the track.
ARTICLES
In the closing scenes, however, are six deadly similairties.
1. Part of the story takes place in the woodland where young army cadets are playing war games. Instead of real bullets, they use paint pellets colored red and blue. If you are hit with a pellet, you are "dead". Chucky is hit in the face with a pellet and marked with blue paint.
2. Chucky is lured by a boy who calls out to him and runs away to entice him to follow.
3. Chucky's face is terrible mutilated during an attempt to kill him. Some is sliced off with a scythe.
4. Chucky doesn't lie down despite his terrible injuries, so his attackers have to finish him off.
5. The final scenes of violence in Child's Play 3 take part in a fun fair which featues a railway track. Others are filmed in a cemetery.
6. The doll is destroyed by the spinning blades of a gigantic rotor which dismembers it.
1. Shortly before they killed Jamie, Thompson and Venables squirted him in the face with blue paint thye had stolen.
2. The boys lured Jamie to join them in the same way.
3. Jamie's face was mutilated by the boys who attacked him with a 10cm wide metal bar.
4. Jamie also refused to give up when confronted by the two older boys
5. The final stages of Jamie's life were played out on a railway track beside a cemetary.
6. Jamie's body was crushed and dismembered by a train running over it.
Police were also told that a Roald Dahl story, The Swan, available in Liverpool schools and libraries, foretold the death. In the story, two bullies abduct a younger child and drag him to a railway embankment where a train almost kills him and he is threatened with drowning. He eventually flies to safety.
Justice Morland, passing sentence on Wednesday ,said: "It is not for me to pass judgement on their upbringing, but I suspect exposure to violent video films may, in part, be an explanation"
BRITAIN PUTS VIDEO NASTIES IN THE DOCK
British Sky Broadcasting cancelled a screeing of the film tonight. It has shown the film twice recently.Meanwhile, the Irish Republic's biggest video renting chain withdrew Child's Play 1, 2 and 3 from its shelves.
This shows the influence that newspapers can have on other media platforms, with Sky Broadcasting removing the film from its scheduling in order not to cause a controversy.
The BBFC
THE BBFC
compiled from http://www.bbfc.co.uk/news/press/19970101.html
1. The BBFC, or British Board of Film Classification, is the UK censorship organisation, responsible for classifying all films and videos.
2. It was established in 1912. The 1909 Cinematograph Act, which offered guidelines about the running of cinemas, was said to be what led to the film industry founding the BBFC.
3. Local council legally have the final say in the classification or showing of a film in their area, although the majority of the time they leave this up to the BBFC. Occasionally, local councils will go against BBFC decision
4. The BBFC is the strictest film regulator in the Western World, providing stricter censorship than anywhere else in Europe. It is also stricter than the regulation of other media forms; for example books, artwork and theatre, which are all censored far less heavily, or not at all.
LEGISLATION
1. The Video Recordings Act of 1984 stated that all video releases must be classified by an authority, with the responsibility given to the BBFC. This was to combat the increasing lack of control that came with the invention of the VCR. The criteria used to classify videos were stricter than that of cinema releases due to the ability to rewind and pause. The supply of unclassified) videos was made a criminal offence, as was supplying 15 and 18-certificate videos to people under age. R18 videos could only be sold in licensed sex shops.
2. In 1994, the Criminal Justice Act was passed. Althouygh not aimed at film classification, it had an effect on it nevertheless. It extended the power of the 1978 Protection of Children Act to the Video Recordings Act. It also included a clause that restricted videos that showed ways for crimes to be committed. There was also a clause covering potential harm "caused to potential viewers or, by their behaviour, to society," to cover the new idea that film has the power to cause harm to viewers.
3. Other acts that the BBFC has to take into account are:
• 1936 Cinematograph Films (animals) Act – This piece of legislation banned deliberate animal cruelty from cinema films
• 1959 Obscene Publications Act – The Act that defines obscenity, which can then be applied to film
• 1988 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act – The British copyright legislation paperwork, which covers works across all media
CATEGORISATION
• Classifications currently in use are Uc (particularly suitable for pre-school children), U (suitable for everyone), PG (suitable for anyone, but might contain some material unsuitable for children) , 12 (suitable for people aged 12 and over), 12A (suitable for people over 12, and those under 12 provided they are with a parent), 15 (suitable for people over 15), 18 (suitable for people over 18) and R18 (works that can only be sold in licensed sex shops).
• Classsifications that have been dropped along the way are A (Adult, suggesting it might contain material unsuitable for children. Replaced by PG), H (Horror, which was advisory, although used by local authorities to ban children under 16. Replaced by X), X (which excluded people under 16 until 1970, then people under 18. Replaced by 18), AA (which excluded people under 14. Replaced by 15)
Imitable Techniques
The BBFC is concerned about detailed portrayal of criminal and violent techniques and the glamorisation of easily accessible weapons. Action which may promote illegal or anti-social behaviour, and portrayals of potentially dangerous behaviour which young children are likely to copy, are of particular concern. Examples of the Board’s concerns in this area include combat techniques, hanging, suicide and self-harm.
Research conducted by the Policy Studies Institute in 1993, was the first major survey of the tastes and viewing habits of violent young offenders and a comparable group of non-offenders of the same age range (12 to 17). The research findings were announced at a BBFC Press Conference on 11 April 1994. These were that:
(1) all teenage boys were watching much the same films, with a strong preference for macho heroics, in particular films and videos featuring the lethal escapades of the action stars of the nineties, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Lee, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal and the ever popular Bruce Lee; but
(2) the offenders' backgrounds were so different from those of the non-offenders, and the conditions of their lives so chaotic that it was possible that they might be bringing different attitudes to the viewing and drawing different things from it.
Thus the report stressed the need for a follow-up study which would look into not just what young offenders watch, but how they watch and how they interpret what they see.
In June 1994, the Home Affairs Select Committee of the House of Commons supported the Board's plans for just such a follow-up study into the viewing of violence by serious young offenders in custody, and later that year the BBFC approached the Home Office together with a long-time member of the Board's Video Consultative Council, Dr Kevin Browne of the University of Birmingham. In 1995, the Home Office approved Dr Browne's research proposal and agreed to fund it over the next two years.
The BBFC is a research-based organisation. For many years, it has been concerned at the capacity of videos to teach copycat crime, and it is currently the only classification board in the world that regularly cuts the use of imitable weaponry, dangerous techniques of unarmed combat, and imitable techniques of criminal activity, like the stealing of cars, or breaking and entering premises. We needed to research the validity of the Board's approach, particularly the extent to which youngsters with a criminal record were likely to bring to the viewing of such scenes a knowledge of crime which enables them to use videos as a source book of criminal techniques. The second phase of the Board's research programme, conducted by Dr Browne, was designed to provide such information. It is due to be published at the end of October.
Phase Three of this research is currently in the planning stage. It will involve weekly in-depth interviews with violent young offenders over a period of months, exploring their fantasies and noting the extent to which mediaviolence contributes to those fantasies or triggers their acting out. This research will bring together some of the country's leading experts in the field. Details will be announced later this autumn.
All three phases of the Board's research into the effects of screen violence were discussed at the world conference on screen violence held by the BBFC in London in September 1996. The conference also discussed the possibility of international joint funding for such research in the future. The progress of these research initiatives will be discussed again at an international conference of European classifiers and media regulators to be held in London at the end of September 1997.
compiled from http://www.bbfc.co.uk/news/press/19970101.html
1. The BBFC, or British Board of Film Classification, is the UK censorship organisation, responsible for classifying all films and videos.
2. It was established in 1912. The 1909 Cinematograph Act, which offered guidelines about the running of cinemas, was said to be what led to the film industry founding the BBFC.
3. Local council legally have the final say in the classification or showing of a film in their area, although the majority of the time they leave this up to the BBFC. Occasionally, local councils will go against BBFC decision
4. The BBFC is the strictest film regulator in the Western World, providing stricter censorship than anywhere else in Europe. It is also stricter than the regulation of other media forms; for example books, artwork and theatre, which are all censored far less heavily, or not at all.
LEGISLATION
1. The Video Recordings Act of 1984 stated that all video releases must be classified by an authority, with the responsibility given to the BBFC. This was to combat the increasing lack of control that came with the invention of the VCR. The criteria used to classify videos were stricter than that of cinema releases due to the ability to rewind and pause. The supply of unclassified) videos was made a criminal offence, as was supplying 15 and 18-certificate videos to people under age. R18 videos could only be sold in licensed sex shops.
2. In 1994, the Criminal Justice Act was passed. Althouygh not aimed at film classification, it had an effect on it nevertheless. It extended the power of the 1978 Protection of Children Act to the Video Recordings Act. It also included a clause that restricted videos that showed ways for crimes to be committed. There was also a clause covering potential harm "caused to potential viewers or, by their behaviour, to society," to cover the new idea that film has the power to cause harm to viewers.
3. Other acts that the BBFC has to take into account are:
• 1936 Cinematograph Films (animals) Act – This piece of legislation banned deliberate animal cruelty from cinema films
• 1959 Obscene Publications Act – The Act that defines obscenity, which can then be applied to film
• 1988 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act – The British copyright legislation paperwork, which covers works across all media
CATEGORISATION
• Classifications currently in use are Uc (particularly suitable for pre-school children), U (suitable for everyone), PG (suitable for anyone, but might contain some material unsuitable for children) , 12 (suitable for people aged 12 and over), 12A (suitable for people over 12, and those under 12 provided they are with a parent), 15 (suitable for people over 15), 18 (suitable for people over 18) and R18 (works that can only be sold in licensed sex shops).
• Classsifications that have been dropped along the way are A (Adult, suggesting it might contain material unsuitable for children. Replaced by PG), H (Horror, which was advisory, although used by local authorities to ban children under 16. Replaced by X), X (which excluded people under 16 until 1970, then people under 18. Replaced by 18), AA (which excluded people under 14. Replaced by 15)
Imitable Techniques
The BBFC is concerned about detailed portrayal of criminal and violent techniques and the glamorisation of easily accessible weapons. Action which may promote illegal or anti-social behaviour, and portrayals of potentially dangerous behaviour which young children are likely to copy, are of particular concern. Examples of the Board’s concerns in this area include combat techniques, hanging, suicide and self-harm.
Research conducted by the Policy Studies Institute in 1993, was the first major survey of the tastes and viewing habits of violent young offenders and a comparable group of non-offenders of the same age range (12 to 17). The research findings were announced at a BBFC Press Conference on 11 April 1994. These were that:
(1) all teenage boys were watching much the same films, with a strong preference for macho heroics, in particular films and videos featuring the lethal escapades of the action stars of the nineties, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Lee, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal and the ever popular Bruce Lee; but
(2) the offenders' backgrounds were so different from those of the non-offenders, and the conditions of their lives so chaotic that it was possible that they might be bringing different attitudes to the viewing and drawing different things from it.
Thus the report stressed the need for a follow-up study which would look into not just what young offenders watch, but how they watch and how they interpret what they see.
In June 1994, the Home Affairs Select Committee of the House of Commons supported the Board's plans for just such a follow-up study into the viewing of violence by serious young offenders in custody, and later that year the BBFC approached the Home Office together with a long-time member of the Board's Video Consultative Council, Dr Kevin Browne of the University of Birmingham. In 1995, the Home Office approved Dr Browne's research proposal and agreed to fund it over the next two years.
The BBFC is a research-based organisation. For many years, it has been concerned at the capacity of videos to teach copycat crime, and it is currently the only classification board in the world that regularly cuts the use of imitable weaponry, dangerous techniques of unarmed combat, and imitable techniques of criminal activity, like the stealing of cars, or breaking and entering premises. We needed to research the validity of the Board's approach, particularly the extent to which youngsters with a criminal record were likely to bring to the viewing of such scenes a knowledge of crime which enables them to use videos as a source book of criminal techniques. The second phase of the Board's research programme, conducted by Dr Browne, was designed to provide such information. It is due to be published at the end of October.
Phase Three of this research is currently in the planning stage. It will involve weekly in-depth interviews with violent young offenders over a period of months, exploring their fantasies and noting the extent to which mediaviolence contributes to those fantasies or triggers their acting out. This research will bring together some of the country's leading experts in the field. Details will be announced later this autumn.
All three phases of the Board's research into the effects of screen violence were discussed at the world conference on screen violence held by the BBFC in London in September 1996. The conference also discussed the possibility of international joint funding for such research in the future. The progress of these research initiatives will be discussed again at an international conference of European classifiers and media regulators to be held in London at the end of September 1997.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
The Bobo Doll Experiment
In the US, threats of legislative action led to a 1994 agreement that the television industry would fund a project for monitoring the ‘status of television violence.
’
The US reports represent the most recent and extensive application of counting techniques to media violence. Projects concentrated on examining the amount and types of violence shown on television. The 1997 NTVS Report argues that there is clear evidence, based on ‘careful and critical readings’ of research collected over the last 40 years, that media violence contributes significantly to violence in society referring particularly to the Surgeon General's Report Television and Social Behaviour (1972) and the Bandura, Ross and Ross study of the Bobo doll
The Bobo Doll Studies
The ‘Bobo’ is an inflatable plastic doll, about one metre tall, with a weighted base, designed so that when knocked over it will rebound. The research team showed experimental groups of young people film of another person beating such a doll with a baseball bat then, having frustrated them by taking favoured toys away, put them in a room with a similar doll and bat.
In some experiments, the model had been rewarded or punished for beating the doll, forms of punishment including one described by the researchers as ‘slapping.’ The researchers found that those who had been shown film of the model beating the doll were more likely to do so than the control group, while those who saw the model being rewarded were more likely to do so than those who saw the model being punished. Control group members acted aggressively in a variety of ways but they did not beat the doll with the baseball bat. The failure to take account of the difference between beating a doll with a baseball bat on the one hand is a striking aspect of the research.
There is also the issue that applies to all research studies, whether or not what is seen in the experiment room is anything like what actually occurs in real life.
’The US reports represent the most recent and extensive application of counting techniques to media violence. Projects concentrated on examining the amount and types of violence shown on television. The 1997 NTVS Report argues that there is clear evidence, based on ‘careful and critical readings’ of research collected over the last 40 years, that media violence contributes significantly to violence in society referring particularly to the Surgeon General's Report Television and Social Behaviour (1972) and the Bandura, Ross and Ross study of the Bobo doll
The Bobo Doll Studies
The ‘Bobo’ is an inflatable plastic doll, about one metre tall, with a weighted base, designed so that when knocked over it will rebound. The research team showed experimental groups of young people film of another person beating such a doll with a baseball bat then, having frustrated them by taking favoured toys away, put them in a room with a similar doll and bat.
In some experiments, the model had been rewarded or punished for beating the doll, forms of punishment including one described by the researchers as ‘slapping.’ The researchers found that those who had been shown film of the model beating the doll were more likely to do so than the control group, while those who saw the model being rewarded were more likely to do so than those who saw the model being punished. Control group members acted aggressively in a variety of ways but they did not beat the doll with the baseball bat. The failure to take account of the difference between beating a doll with a baseball bat on the one hand is a striking aspect of the research.
There is also the issue that applies to all research studies, whether or not what is seen in the experiment room is anything like what actually occurs in real life.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Possible questions for one-to-one interviews
Type of source: Primary
Benefits of source:
- In depth responses, more personal
- More controlled
- People open up more than in a focus group
Limitations of source:
- Only one viewpoint
- Time-consuming to organise and carry out
- Can't guarantee you will get any useful information
Benefits of source:
- In depth responses, more personal
- More controlled
- People open up more than in a focus group
Limitations of source:
- Only one viewpoint
- Time-consuming to organise and carry out
- Can't guarantee you will get any useful information
Monday, March 17, 2008
Progress check
What have I compiled so far?
- Many notes from my case studies, some for every case study and particularly detailed notes for Jamie Bulger and Dawson college
- Notes from inportant books, for example those by W. James Potter. Consists of research done into television effects, with some statistics that I could easily use
- Extracts from newspaper articles relevant to my specific case studies, particularly Jamie Bulger
- Online questionnaire asking for some basic views about copycat crime. 15 questionnaires returned.
- Initial proposal and detailed proposal
- Notes from theorists, particularly on the opposing side of the debate as to whether there is such thing as copycat crime
- Some notes on research studies done, including the Bobo doll experiment and other similar studies
- Definitions/looked at relevant theories, such as hypodermic needle model
What do I still need to do
- More depth of research into existing research studies, particularly ones that show no link between media and crime
- Brainstorm questions for the one-to-one interviews
- Conduct my one-to-one interviews
- Analysis of methods of research
-
- Many notes from my case studies, some for every case study and particularly detailed notes for Jamie Bulger and Dawson college
- Notes from inportant books, for example those by W. James Potter. Consists of research done into television effects, with some statistics that I could easily use
- Extracts from newspaper articles relevant to my specific case studies, particularly Jamie Bulger
- Online questionnaire asking for some basic views about copycat crime. 15 questionnaires returned.
- Initial proposal and detailed proposal
- Notes from theorists, particularly on the opposing side of the debate as to whether there is such thing as copycat crime
- Some notes on research studies done, including the Bobo doll experiment and other similar studies
- Definitions/looked at relevant theories, such as hypodermic needle model
What do I still need to do
- More depth of research into existing research studies, particularly ones that show no link between media and crime
- Brainstorm questions for the one-to-one interviews
- Conduct my one-to-one interviews
- Analysis of methods of research
-
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Extracts from books
"The 11 Myths Of Media Violence" - W. James Potter
Media Factors in the process of influence
Frequency of Violence
Risk increases when:
- There are higher rates of violence in the exposures
Television World Profile on Frequency
- Since the early 1950's, between 60 and 80% of all television programmes have contained at least one act of violence
- The average rate for violent acts in fictional television programming over the past 40 years has been between six and eight acts of physical violence per every hour of programming
- Violence is prevalent in the news: if it bleeds, it leads
Context of Violence
Risk increases when:
- The perpertrator is rewarded or at least not punished
- The perpetrator is attractive/a hero
- There are no serious consequences (such as pain or harm) to the victim
- The action is portrayed as being justified
- Violence is portayed in a realistic setting with realistic characters
- Violence appears in a humorous context
- Violent portrayals are arousing
Television World Profile on Context
- Less than 30% of the violence is portrayed as being punished
- About 40% of perpetrators are portrayed as being attractive
- Only 15% of the violent incidents portray serious consequences (such as pain or harm) to the victim
- More than one quarter of violent action is portrayed as being justified
- Over half of the violence is portrayed in a realistic setting
- More than 40% of violent action appears in a humorous context
"On Media Violence" - W. James Potter
Summary of Major Findings About Effects of Exposure to Media Violence
Immediate Effects
1. Exposure to violent portrayals in the media can lead to subsequent viewer aggression through disinhibition
2. The immediate disinhibition effect is influenced by viewer demographics, viewer traits, viewer states, characteristics in the portrayals, and situational cues
3. Exposure to violence in the media can lead to fear effects
4. An immediate fear effect is influenced by a set of key factors about viewers and the portrayals
5. Exposure to violence in the media can lead to desensitisation
6. An immediate desensitisation effect is influenced by a set of key factors about viewers and the portrayals
Long Term Effects
7. Long-term exposure to media violence is related to aggression in a persons life
8. Media violence is related to subsequent violence in society
9. People exposed to many violent portrayals over a long time will come to exaggerate their chances of being victimised
10. People exposed to many violent portrayals over a long time will come to be more accepting of violence
Media Factors in the process of influence
Frequency of Violence
Risk increases when:
- There are higher rates of violence in the exposures
Television World Profile on Frequency
- Since the early 1950's, between 60 and 80% of all television programmes have contained at least one act of violence
- The average rate for violent acts in fictional television programming over the past 40 years has been between six and eight acts of physical violence per every hour of programming
- Violence is prevalent in the news: if it bleeds, it leads
Context of Violence
Risk increases when:
- The perpertrator is rewarded or at least not punished
- The perpetrator is attractive/a hero
- There are no serious consequences (such as pain or harm) to the victim
- The action is portrayed as being justified
- Violence is portayed in a realistic setting with realistic characters
- Violence appears in a humorous context
- Violent portrayals are arousing
Television World Profile on Context
- Less than 30% of the violence is portrayed as being punished
- About 40% of perpetrators are portrayed as being attractive
- Only 15% of the violent incidents portray serious consequences (such as pain or harm) to the victim
- More than one quarter of violent action is portrayed as being justified
- Over half of the violence is portrayed in a realistic setting
- More than 40% of violent action appears in a humorous context
"On Media Violence" - W. James Potter
Summary of Major Findings About Effects of Exposure to Media Violence
Immediate Effects
1. Exposure to violent portrayals in the media can lead to subsequent viewer aggression through disinhibition
2. The immediate disinhibition effect is influenced by viewer demographics, viewer traits, viewer states, characteristics in the portrayals, and situational cues
3. Exposure to violence in the media can lead to fear effects
4. An immediate fear effect is influenced by a set of key factors about viewers and the portrayals
5. Exposure to violence in the media can lead to desensitisation
6. An immediate desensitisation effect is influenced by a set of key factors about viewers and the portrayals
Long Term Effects
7. Long-term exposure to media violence is related to aggression in a persons life
8. Media violence is related to subsequent violence in society
9. People exposed to many violent portrayals over a long time will come to exaggerate their chances of being victimised
10. People exposed to many violent portrayals over a long time will come to be more accepting of violence
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Notes from visit to BFI library
About Specific Case Studies
Jamie Bulger
Headlines and extracts:
"DEMON DOLL FILM" - The Guardian 26/11/93
"NO CHILD SHOULD WATCH THESE VIOLENT VIDEOS" - The Guardian 26/11/93
"WE MUST PROTECT YOUNG MINDS" - Independent 26/11/93
- David Buckingham said in the Guardian on 26/11/93 "Videos provide a nice easy explanation" and "Banning videos won't prevent this sort of this happening again"
- Friend Patrick Claeys said "Jon was always acting out the roles of his favourite video villains, once boasting he was the bad guy in Terminator" - The Evening Standard 25/11/93
- The Daily Mail reported on 18/12/93 "demand for the video Childs Play 3 has increased since it was linked to the murder of James Bulger"
- The Guardian reported that 181,000 children saw the film on the 15th December 1993
- On 26/11/93 The Independent linked the James Bulger case to the Roald Dahl book 'The Swan,' which was about 2 bullies who abduct a child and drag him to the railway where a train almost kills him. He is also threatened with drowning. It could be argued that this is a lot more similar that Childs Play 3 to what actually happened, and this book was available in Liverpool libraries.
Survey
Dr Ann Hagell and Dr Tim Newburn compared viewing habits of 78 young offenders aged between 12 and 18, and over 500 schoolchildren of similar ages.
Soap operas and similar dramas dominated the choices of both groups. The Bill was the favourite programme of the Young Offenders, while the schoolchildren preferred Home And Away and Neighbours. The study also concluded that the Young Offenders did not watch more telelvision or more violent programmes. The Offenders actually had less access to television, and sattelite channels, and as a result were less likely to watch on their own.
This information came from an article in Television Today, from April 14th 1994
Notes from Books
"Media And Violence" - Karen Boyle
Rather than a media link between the killers in cases such as Jamie Bulger and Columbine, she suggests that there is a male link instead, which nobody has looked at.
She also believes that in observational studies, children do what they believe will please the examiner. For example, in a Bobo-doll style experiment, one child said "Look mummy, there's the doll we have to hit" - Gauntlett 1995
"The Myth Of Media Violence" - David Trend - "Watching doesn't make us violent"
"On Media Violence" - W. James Potter
"Violence And The Media" - Kay Weaver and Cynthia Carter - Links to censorship debate
Jamie Bulger
Headlines and extracts:
"DEMON DOLL FILM" - The Guardian 26/11/93
"NO CHILD SHOULD WATCH THESE VIOLENT VIDEOS" - The Guardian 26/11/93
"WE MUST PROTECT YOUNG MINDS" - Independent 26/11/93
- David Buckingham said in the Guardian on 26/11/93 "Videos provide a nice easy explanation" and "Banning videos won't prevent this sort of this happening again"
- Friend Patrick Claeys said "Jon was always acting out the roles of his favourite video villains, once boasting he was the bad guy in Terminator" - The Evening Standard 25/11/93
- The Daily Mail reported on 18/12/93 "demand for the video Childs Play 3 has increased since it was linked to the murder of James Bulger"
- The Guardian reported that 181,000 children saw the film on the 15th December 1993
- On 26/11/93 The Independent linked the James Bulger case to the Roald Dahl book 'The Swan,' which was about 2 bullies who abduct a child and drag him to the railway where a train almost kills him. He is also threatened with drowning. It could be argued that this is a lot more similar that Childs Play 3 to what actually happened, and this book was available in Liverpool libraries.
Survey
Dr Ann Hagell and Dr Tim Newburn compared viewing habits of 78 young offenders aged between 12 and 18, and over 500 schoolchildren of similar ages.
Soap operas and similar dramas dominated the choices of both groups. The Bill was the favourite programme of the Young Offenders, while the schoolchildren preferred Home And Away and Neighbours. The study also concluded that the Young Offenders did not watch more telelvision or more violent programmes. The Offenders actually had less access to television, and sattelite channels, and as a result were less likely to watch on their own.
This information came from an article in Television Today, from April 14th 1994
Notes from Books
"Media And Violence" - Karen Boyle
Rather than a media link between the killers in cases such as Jamie Bulger and Columbine, she suggests that there is a male link instead, which nobody has looked at.
She also believes that in observational studies, children do what they believe will please the examiner. For example, in a Bobo-doll style experiment, one child said "Look mummy, there's the doll we have to hit" - Gauntlett 1995
"The Myth Of Media Violence" - David Trend - "Watching doesn't make us violent"
"On Media Violence" - W. James Potter
"Violence And The Media" - Kay Weaver and Cynthia Carter - Links to censorship debate
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Virginia Tech
The Virginia Tech massacre was a school shooting comprising two separate attacks about two hours apart on April 16, 2007, on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. The perpetrator, Seung-Hui Cho, killed 32 people and wounded many more, before committing suicide, making it the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.
Almost two hours after the first killings, Cho appeared at the nearby post office and mailed a package of writings and video recordings to NBC News. On April 18, 2007, NBC News received a package from Cho time-stamped between the first and second shooting episodes. It contained an 1,800-word manifesto, photos, and 27 digitally recorded videos, in which Cho likened himself to Jesus Christ and expressed his hatred of the wealthy.
Cho had been diagnosed with and was treated for a severe anxiety disorder in middle school, and he continued receiving therapy and special education support until his junior year of high school. While in college in 2005, Cho had been accused of stalking two female students and was declared mentally ill by a Virginia special justice. At least one professor had asked him to seek counseling.At three years of age, Cho was shy, frail, and wary of physical contact. While early media reports carried speculation by South Korean relatives that Cho had autism,the review panel report dismissed this diagnosis. In eighth grade, Cho was diagnosed with depression as well as selective mutism, a social anxiety disorder that inhibited him from speaking. Cho eventually chose to discontinue therapy.
Almost two hours after the first killings, Cho appeared at the nearby post office and mailed a package of writings and video recordings to NBC News. On April 18, 2007, NBC News received a package from Cho time-stamped between the first and second shooting episodes. It contained an 1,800-word manifesto, photos, and 27 digitally recorded videos, in which Cho likened himself to Jesus Christ and expressed his hatred of the wealthy.
Cho had been diagnosed with and was treated for a severe anxiety disorder in middle school, and he continued receiving therapy and special education support until his junior year of high school. While in college in 2005, Cho had been accused of stalking two female students and was declared mentally ill by a Virginia special justice. At least one professor had asked him to seek counseling.At three years of age, Cho was shy, frail, and wary of physical contact. While early media reports carried speculation by South Korean relatives that Cho had autism,the review panel report dismissed this diagnosis. In eighth grade, Cho was diagnosed with depression as well as selective mutism, a social anxiety disorder that inhibited him from speaking. Cho eventually chose to discontinue therapy.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Dawson College Shooting
What Happened?
On September 13, 2006, Gill arrived at Dawson College in Montreal and opened fire on students within the main building, killing Anastasia De Sousa, 18, and wounding nineteen other people before officer Denis Côté and other police officers shot him in the arm. Gill then turned his gun on himself and committed suicide, according to witnesses, authorities, and the autopsy report. Authorities concluded the attack was premeditated, after a short suicide note was found on Gill's body
The Killer
Kimveer Gill received military training. He did not complete his basic training for unknown reasons. He was deemed unsuitable for military service and agreed to leave before receiving extensive weapons training. Gill's mother, Parvinder Sandhu, told a South Asian radio station that Gill regularly spent time practicing his shooting.
Kimveer Gill described himself in his profile on VampireFreaks.com: "His name is Trench. You will come to know him as the Angel of Death ."He is male. He is 25 years of age. He lives in Quebec. He finds that it is an O.K place to live. He is not a people person. He has met a handful of people in his life who are decent. But he finds the vast majority to be worthless, no good, kniving, betraying, lying, deceptive, motherfuckers. Work sucks..........School sucks..........Life sucks..........What else can I say. Metal and Goth kick ass. Life is like a video game, you gotta die sometime." He also wrote, "I hate this world, I hate the people in it, I hate the way people live, I hate God, I hate the deceivers, I hate betrayers, I hate religious zealots, I hate everything ... I hate so much ... "
Most people from his high school years remember him having friends and certainly never being bullied. His friends say that near the end, Kimveer Gill had a fascination with 9/11 conspiracy theories, the war in Iraw and the 1999 Columbine massacre. He liked Jack Daniels and the odd hit of ecstasy.
"People kill each other Rape women Molest children Deceive and betray Destroy lives Bullying and torturing each other at school What kind of world is this? What the fuck is wrong with people. This world….this life, is worst than hell.
Kimveer Gills dislikes, as stated in his vampirefreaks.com profile, are: THE WORLD AND EVERYTHING IN IT. But to be more specific: Jocks, Preps, Country Music, Hip Hop, Posers, Wiggers Chavs, Normal people, Anything And Everything Hip Hop, All Those Who Oppose My Rule, People who pretend to be your friend, but they're not, Traffic, American Government, Animal Cruelty, Anyone Who Supports The American Government, Politics, Comedy Movies, The Police, Law Enforcement, Religion, All The Governments On Earth, God, Stress, Really Hot and Humid Summer Days, Lies, Betrayers, Deceivers, Manipulators, Lawyers, Anyone Who Has Anything Against Metal Or Goth, Capatalists, People Who Think They're Real Smart Asses But Who Are Really Just Motherfuckers, People Without Manners, Downraters, Rude People, People In General, Anyone Who Has Ever Said Or Done Anything Bad To A Goth Girl, Sunlight, Goody Two Shoes, Fucking Religious People Who Think They Know Everything.....And Then They Stick It In Your Face Cuz' They Think They Know Everything (They Don't Understand That They're Just A Bunch Of Little Sheep), Catholics, Society, Traffic, When My PC Crashes Or Freezes, Cheerleader bitches, Teachers Who Try To Be Like The Students So They Can Be ^popular^....Instead Of Doing Their Job The Way They Should...And TEACH, Fuck, Just Fucking Writting This Stuff Is Pissing Me Off, People Who Talk With Their Mouths Full, Bullys, Smartasses, When my contact lenses don't go in my eyes on the first try, Normal human behaviour, People who drive too slow in the fast lane, People who judge others, When My Rifle Misfires And I Gotta Stand There For 60 Seconds Waiting For It To Fire, Or Not, The Universe, Anyone who doesn't like VF, Church Going Assholes, The World, Bible Thumpping, Know-It-Alls, Damn I Gotta Lot Of Dislikes, Child Molesting Priests, All Priests, Republicans, Racists, Homophobes, Did I Mention That I Hate The World, Pitbulls (They're Too Dangerous), Waking Up, Life, The City It's Just So Damn Crowded, Warm Beer, The Human Race, When A DVD I'm Watching Skips Or Freezes, Dogs, GOD DAMN MOTHERFUCKING JOCKS.
Media Links?
Gill referenced more than 50 movies, and 3 TV shows on his Vampire Freaks profile.
The game Super Columbine Massacre RPG is not mentioned on Kimveer Gill's Vampire Freaks profile amongst his list of favorite video games, nor in his online journal.
Aftermath: Other Media Controversies
An immediate controversy arose about an article regarding the Dawson shootings by journalist Jan Wong, of the Toronto-based Globe and Mail. Three days after the event, Ms. Wong wrote a front-page piece titled Get under the desk, in which she drew a link between all three school shootings in Quebec history (the École Polytechnique, the Concordia University and the Dawson College killings) and the nature of the Quebec society and its protective language laws.
Wong suggested the fact that the three perpetrators were not old-stock French Quebecers (the shooters were Algerian, Belarusian, and Indian in descent) was related to their murderous actions since, she claimed, they were alienated from a Quebec society concerned with "racial purity." Accused of "Quebec bashing,"
In 2007, the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council faulted CKNW, a radio station in Vancouver, British Columbia for airing "potentially dangerous information" during the Dawson College shooting. During the incident, CKNW had simulcast content from its sister stations in Montreal which included students speaking by cellphone from inside the school. A Vancouver man complained that the content could have told the gunman where the students were. The council said that as a result of modern technology reducing geographic distance as a barrier, CKNW had breached Section 10 (coverage of violent situations) of the broadcast code.
On September 13, 2006, Gill arrived at Dawson College in Montreal and opened fire on students within the main building, killing Anastasia De Sousa, 18, and wounding nineteen other people before officer Denis Côté and other police officers shot him in the arm. Gill then turned his gun on himself and committed suicide, according to witnesses, authorities, and the autopsy report. Authorities concluded the attack was premeditated, after a short suicide note was found on Gill's body
The Killer
Kimveer Gill received military training. He did not complete his basic training for unknown reasons. He was deemed unsuitable for military service and agreed to leave before receiving extensive weapons training. Gill's mother, Parvinder Sandhu, told a South Asian radio station that Gill regularly spent time practicing his shooting.
Kimveer Gill described himself in his profile on VampireFreaks.com: "His name is Trench. You will come to know him as the Angel of Death ."He is male. He is 25 years of age. He lives in Quebec. He finds that it is an O.K place to live. He is not a people person. He has met a handful of people in his life who are decent. But he finds the vast majority to be worthless, no good, kniving, betraying, lying, deceptive, motherfuckers. Work sucks..........School sucks..........Life sucks..........What else can I say. Metal and Goth kick ass. Life is like a video game, you gotta die sometime." He also wrote, "I hate this world, I hate the people in it, I hate the way people live, I hate God, I hate the deceivers, I hate betrayers, I hate religious zealots, I hate everything ... I hate so much ... "
Most people from his high school years remember him having friends and certainly never being bullied. His friends say that near the end, Kimveer Gill had a fascination with 9/11 conspiracy theories, the war in Iraw and the 1999 Columbine massacre. He liked Jack Daniels and the odd hit of ecstasy.
"People kill each other Rape women Molest children Deceive and betray Destroy lives Bullying and torturing each other at school What kind of world is this? What the fuck is wrong with people. This world….this life, is worst than hell.
Kimveer Gills dislikes, as stated in his vampirefreaks.com profile, are: THE WORLD AND EVERYTHING IN IT. But to be more specific: Jocks, Preps, Country Music, Hip Hop, Posers, Wiggers Chavs, Normal people, Anything And Everything Hip Hop, All Those Who Oppose My Rule, People who pretend to be your friend, but they're not, Traffic, American Government, Animal Cruelty, Anyone Who Supports The American Government, Politics, Comedy Movies, The Police, Law Enforcement, Religion, All The Governments On Earth, God, Stress, Really Hot and Humid Summer Days, Lies, Betrayers, Deceivers, Manipulators, Lawyers, Anyone Who Has Anything Against Metal Or Goth, Capatalists, People Who Think They're Real Smart Asses But Who Are Really Just Motherfuckers, People Without Manners, Downraters, Rude People, People In General, Anyone Who Has Ever Said Or Done Anything Bad To A Goth Girl, Sunlight, Goody Two Shoes, Fucking Religious People Who Think They Know Everything.....And Then They Stick It In Your Face Cuz' They Think They Know Everything (They Don't Understand That They're Just A Bunch Of Little Sheep), Catholics, Society, Traffic, When My PC Crashes Or Freezes, Cheerleader bitches, Teachers Who Try To Be Like The Students So They Can Be ^popular^....Instead Of Doing Their Job The Way They Should...And TEACH, Fuck, Just Fucking Writting This Stuff Is Pissing Me Off, People Who Talk With Their Mouths Full, Bullys, Smartasses, When my contact lenses don't go in my eyes on the first try, Normal human behaviour, People who drive too slow in the fast lane, People who judge others, When My Rifle Misfires And I Gotta Stand There For 60 Seconds Waiting For It To Fire, Or Not, The Universe, Anyone who doesn't like VF, Church Going Assholes, The World, Bible Thumpping, Know-It-Alls, Damn I Gotta Lot Of Dislikes, Child Molesting Priests, All Priests, Republicans, Racists, Homophobes, Did I Mention That I Hate The World, Pitbulls (They're Too Dangerous), Waking Up, Life, The City It's Just So Damn Crowded, Warm Beer, The Human Race, When A DVD I'm Watching Skips Or Freezes, Dogs, GOD DAMN MOTHERFUCKING JOCKS.
Media Links?
Gill referenced more than 50 movies, and 3 TV shows on his Vampire Freaks profile.
The game Super Columbine Massacre RPG is not mentioned on Kimveer Gill's Vampire Freaks profile amongst his list of favorite video games, nor in his online journal.
Aftermath: Other Media Controversies
An immediate controversy arose about an article regarding the Dawson shootings by journalist Jan Wong, of the Toronto-based Globe and Mail. Three days after the event, Ms. Wong wrote a front-page piece titled Get under the desk, in which she drew a link between all three school shootings in Quebec history (the École Polytechnique, the Concordia University and the Dawson College killings) and the nature of the Quebec society and its protective language laws.
Wong suggested the fact that the three perpetrators were not old-stock French Quebecers (the shooters were Algerian, Belarusian, and Indian in descent) was related to their murderous actions since, she claimed, they were alienated from a Quebec society concerned with "racial purity." Accused of "Quebec bashing,"
In 2007, the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council faulted CKNW, a radio station in Vancouver, British Columbia for airing "potentially dangerous information" during the Dawson College shooting. During the incident, CKNW had simulcast content from its sister stations in Montreal which included students speaking by cellphone from inside the school. A Vancouver man complained that the content could have told the gunman where the students were. The council said that as a result of modern technology reducing geographic distance as a barrier, CKNW had breached Section 10 (coverage of violent situations) of the broadcast code.
Teacher Feedback
It was suggested to me that, although Jamie Bulger and Columbine are good case studies, they are both quite dated and over-done, with the examiners looking for fresher material. The Wales suicide rate and a more recent school shooting were both cited as examples that would be seen as more original. However, I researched recent school shootings, and found that all of the 2008 examples had little information (what I thought to be too little to be able to cover them accurately and draw any conclusions from them), with the Wales suicide rate having a similar problem. I thought that for my 5 case studies, I would use:
The Jamie Bulger case
Because this was such a huge moral panic, it was also very well documented, and there is a huge amount of material available. This makes me think, that despite it being quite an old case which has been done before, it would still be a valuable example, as long as I attempt to look at it from a different angle (for example focusing on the killers troubled backgrounds rather than just trying to prove the link between Childs Play 3 and the murder
The Columbine Massacre
While this has similar problems to the Jamie Bulger case, again there is a huge amount of material available. Also, I think this is a really interesting case study, as it is quite unusual. The use of journals, blogs and online videos from the killers would allow me to research another aspect of this topic; the ways in which killers use the media to almost create a name for themselves, to publicise their crimes. This could be compared to the ways that established media (such as newspapers) also does this, albeit unintentionally
The Virginia Tech Massacre OR The Dawson College Shooting
These are both more recent case studies; the most recent school shooting case studies that have an acceptable level of material available. There is also scope for writing about different elements of the media for this case study, and they both have particular elements about them that make them interesting.
The high suicide rate amongst young people in Wales
This is a very recent example as it is still being covered in the news now, and will continue to be if the trend continues. However, this is the case study with the least material available for it, which could make it harder to use effectively. It would allow me some scope to theorise around it though, which is a positive.
I have not yet decided on my 5th case study, but it will be fairly recent, and hopefully covering a different subject area (ie not school shootings, suicide, or, if I can help it, murder)
The Jamie Bulger case
Because this was such a huge moral panic, it was also very well documented, and there is a huge amount of material available. This makes me think, that despite it being quite an old case which has been done before, it would still be a valuable example, as long as I attempt to look at it from a different angle (for example focusing on the killers troubled backgrounds rather than just trying to prove the link between Childs Play 3 and the murder
The Columbine Massacre
While this has similar problems to the Jamie Bulger case, again there is a huge amount of material available. Also, I think this is a really interesting case study, as it is quite unusual. The use of journals, blogs and online videos from the killers would allow me to research another aspect of this topic; the ways in which killers use the media to almost create a name for themselves, to publicise their crimes. This could be compared to the ways that established media (such as newspapers) also does this, albeit unintentionally
The Virginia Tech Massacre OR The Dawson College Shooting
These are both more recent case studies; the most recent school shooting case studies that have an acceptable level of material available. There is also scope for writing about different elements of the media for this case study, and they both have particular elements about them that make them interesting.
The high suicide rate amongst young people in Wales
This is a very recent example as it is still being covered in the news now, and will continue to be if the trend continues. However, this is the case study with the least material available for it, which could make it harder to use effectively. It would allow me some scope to theorise around it though, which is a positive.
I have not yet decided on my 5th case study, but it will be fairly recent, and hopefully covering a different subject area (ie not school shootings, suicide, or, if I can help it, murder)
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Wales: Teenage Suicides
I am interested in looking at the increasing suicide rate in Wales, which has been covered a lot in the news recently. It seems like there is not that much information available, but I thought I would look at it anyway.
I compiled the factual information from
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2008/02/19/4859704-ap.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4673920.stm
- 17 young suicides in just over a year near one town in South Wales
- No evidence of a suicide pact or cult - “Our review is ongoing but so far there is absolutely no indication of any criminality or of any suicide pact,”
- Police complained about “sensational” media reporting adding to the problems, specifically newspapers
- Police did say that a number of the victims used a social networking Web site that is popular with young Britons.
- The parents of one of the children who committed suicide said their son may have been influenced by media reports they believe glamorized earlier suicides, and called for press restraint.
- “We feel media coverage could trigger other young people, who are already vulnerable and feeling low, into attempting to take their own lives.”
This case study seems like it could be important in relation to my enquiry into whether sensationalist media is linked to crime rates. In my online survey, a high percentage of people said they believe newspapers do exaggerate and sometimes glamourise crimes such as this, which can have a very negative effect, especially on young people, who are perceived as being the "vulnerable" in society.
Type of source: Secondary news websites
Benefits of source:
- From news websites, including the BBC site, suggesting the information is quite trustworthy
- Good factual information
Limitations of source:
- Not much insight into why this is happening
I compiled the factual information from
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2008/02/19/4859704-ap.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4673920.stm
- 17 young suicides in just over a year near one town in South Wales
- No evidence of a suicide pact or cult - “Our review is ongoing but so far there is absolutely no indication of any criminality or of any suicide pact,”
- Police complained about “sensational” media reporting adding to the problems, specifically newspapers
- Police did say that a number of the victims used a social networking Web site that is popular with young Britons.
- The parents of one of the children who committed suicide said their son may have been influenced by media reports they believe glamorized earlier suicides, and called for press restraint.
- “We feel media coverage could trigger other young people, who are already vulnerable and feeling low, into attempting to take their own lives.”
This case study seems like it could be important in relation to my enquiry into whether sensationalist media is linked to crime rates. In my online survey, a high percentage of people said they believe newspapers do exaggerate and sometimes glamourise crimes such as this, which can have a very negative effect, especially on young people, who are perceived as being the "vulnerable" in society.
Type of source: Secondary news websites
Benefits of source:
- From news websites, including the BBC site, suggesting the information is quite trustworthy
- Good factual information
Limitations of source:
- Not much insight into why this is happening
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Survey
I created a simple survey about the media effects debate, and I will try and get as many people to do it as possible.
The link is:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=T4uaz6El38TSl_2f1MSVim6g_3d_3d
Any responses would be welcome :)
The purpose of this survey:
My aim was to use this survey as an introduction; something which allowed me to gather a feeling of the general consensus. There are 7 questions on the survey; the first two are statistical, asking age and gender. Then there are 4 other questions, which are in essence closed questions but allow the respondant to go into more detail if they wish. 1 question asks if there is awareness of the phrase 'copycat crime,' and if there is, how they would define it.
Benefits:
- The results are easy to understand, and on the whole can be put into graphs fairly easily
- There is a mix of genders and backgrounds
- As a general introduction, this survey worked fine, helping me to establish some initial hypotheses such as 'newspapers exaggerate the effect media can have on crime rates' and 'exposure to violent material causes people to become desensitised'
Limitations:
- As it was an internet survey, which I linked to on MySpace and my blog, the results I got were almost exclusively from people aged between 16 and 18, which is a clear limitation, although there were a few responses from people of other ages.
- The use of mainly closed questions meant the data was qualitative rather than quantative, which is not necessarily a limitation, but means the level of response was basic, and didn't give me, for example, any quotes that I could use. However, as I plan to conduct 1 on 1 interviews as well, this seems like a fairly minor limitation
- Although I did a pilot survey, a few people told me they still found the wording hard to understand. This could be due to me piloting the survey on people from Latymer, and on mainly other media students as well, who would have a greater understanding of the topic area to begin with.
The link is:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=T4uaz6El38TSl_2f1MSVim6g_3d_3d
Any responses would be welcome :)
The purpose of this survey:
My aim was to use this survey as an introduction; something which allowed me to gather a feeling of the general consensus. There are 7 questions on the survey; the first two are statistical, asking age and gender. Then there are 4 other questions, which are in essence closed questions but allow the respondant to go into more detail if they wish. 1 question asks if there is awareness of the phrase 'copycat crime,' and if there is, how they would define it.
Benefits:
- The results are easy to understand, and on the whole can be put into graphs fairly easily
- There is a mix of genders and backgrounds
- As a general introduction, this survey worked fine, helping me to establish some initial hypotheses such as 'newspapers exaggerate the effect media can have on crime rates' and 'exposure to violent material causes people to become desensitised'
Limitations:
- As it was an internet survey, which I linked to on MySpace and my blog, the results I got were almost exclusively from people aged between 16 and 18, which is a clear limitation, although there were a few responses from people of other ages.
- The use of mainly closed questions meant the data was qualitative rather than quantative, which is not necessarily a limitation, but means the level of response was basic, and didn't give me, for example, any quotes that I could use. However, as I plan to conduct 1 on 1 interviews as well, this seems like a fairly minor limitation
- Although I did a pilot survey, a few people told me they still found the wording hard to understand. This could be due to me piloting the survey on people from Latymer, and on mainly other media students as well, who would have a greater understanding of the topic area to begin with.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Action Plan
Is there such a thing as copycat crime?
Specific targets:
Week 7
- Define copycat crime
- Discuss Jamie Bulger case
> the facts
> the killers' background
> media links
> content analysis of sequences from Childs Play 3
- Define other relevant theories, including the hypodermic needle model and the Cause and Effect argument
Targets completed? Yes. Blog posts discussing my definition of copycat crime, as well as the Jamie Bulger case. Later on (around week 10) will look at newspaper coverage of the case when I am looking at media response to moral panics.
General target: Make sure to keep a record of all sources, noting where I got the information from.
Week 8
- Discuss Columbine or Virginia Tech case
> the facts
> the killers background
> media links: identify what, if any specific films, had an effect
- Identify other famous examples of copycat crime
Targets completed? Yes. Blog posts containing as much information as I could find about these case studies. Other examples of copycat crime noted, such as The Exorcist suicide link, and the Dawson college shooting.
General target: Start to analyse sources as I go along
Week 9
- Initial questionnaire asking for very basic views
- Make notes from some books
Targets completed? Yes. I created my internet survey (there is a link on the blog) and 15 people completed it. I will analyse the results in weeks 10 and 11. I also made some notes on books during our BFI library visit.
General target: Continue to do background reading
Weeks 10 and 11
- Conduct one-to-one interviews asking a large range of people (of different ages, genders and ethnicities) whether thet believe there is a link between the media and between certain crimes, and if they do, what evidence they have of this
- Analyse existing research studies, including Bandura's 'Bobo doll' study and Buckinghams interviews with children
- Make some reference to BBFC policy regarding copycat crime. Mention imitable behaviour and also BBFC reaction to moral panics over film
- Identify the ways in which certain types of media (ie the Daily Mail) sensationalise the link between media and crime, creating moral panics.
- Conclude research, both primary and secondary, and try to answer my proposed question as far as I can, bringing in my own personal views as well
Targets completed?
Specific targets:
Week 7
- Define copycat crime
- Discuss Jamie Bulger case
> the facts
> the killers' background
> media links
> content analysis of sequences from Childs Play 3
- Define other relevant theories, including the hypodermic needle model and the Cause and Effect argument
Targets completed? Yes. Blog posts discussing my definition of copycat crime, as well as the Jamie Bulger case. Later on (around week 10) will look at newspaper coverage of the case when I am looking at media response to moral panics.
General target: Make sure to keep a record of all sources, noting where I got the information from.
Week 8
- Discuss Columbine or Virginia Tech case
> the facts
> the killers background
> media links: identify what, if any specific films, had an effect
- Identify other famous examples of copycat crime
Targets completed? Yes. Blog posts containing as much information as I could find about these case studies. Other examples of copycat crime noted, such as The Exorcist suicide link, and the Dawson college shooting.
General target: Start to analyse sources as I go along
Week 9
- Initial questionnaire asking for very basic views
- Make notes from some books
Targets completed? Yes. I created my internet survey (there is a link on the blog) and 15 people completed it. I will analyse the results in weeks 10 and 11. I also made some notes on books during our BFI library visit.
General target: Continue to do background reading
Weeks 10 and 11
- Conduct one-to-one interviews asking a large range of people (of different ages, genders and ethnicities) whether thet believe there is a link between the media and between certain crimes, and if they do, what evidence they have of this
- Analyse existing research studies, including Bandura's 'Bobo doll' study and Buckinghams interviews with children
- Make some reference to BBFC policy regarding copycat crime. Mention imitable behaviour and also BBFC reaction to moral panics over film
- Identify the ways in which certain types of media (ie the Daily Mail) sensationalise the link between media and crime, creating moral panics.
- Conclude research, both primary and secondary, and try to answer my proposed question as far as I can, bringing in my own personal views as well
Targets completed?
Childs Play 3
The incident that inspired the media to link Childs Play 3 to the Jamie Bulger case was the judge of the case saying "Whilst there has been no actual evidence of this, I suspect that exposure to violent movies had something to do with your actions". It was said that Jon Venables father had rented the film, but the police confirmed that this film had never been rented by either family, and that it was unlikely either child had even seen it.
I looked at the websites http://website.lineone.net/~darkangel5/moral.htm
to help summarise the link between Childs Play 3 and the Jamie Bulger case
Type of source: Secondary popular
Benefits of source:
- Offered some insight into the roots of the moral panic
Limitations of source:
- Not academic or professional, someones personal blog so information is probably not neccesarily that trustworthy
I looked at the websites http://website.lineone.net/~darkangel5/moral.htm
to help summarise the link between Childs Play 3 and the Jamie Bulger case
Type of source: Secondary popular
Benefits of source:
- Offered some insight into the roots of the moral panic
Limitations of source:
- Not academic or professional, someones personal blog so information is probably not neccesarily that trustworthy
The Jamie Bulger case: the killers
Robert ThompsonRobert’s personality was constructed for defense.
Robert’s father beat his wife mercilessly, and then abandoned the family for good. He was an aggressive alcoholic. He beat Ann in front of the boys and Ann hit her sons with sticks and belts. She attempted suicide with pill overdoses, but eventually turned to drinking as her means of escape. The elder brothers beat the younger.
One sibling became a master thief, taking little Robert with him on his adventures. One brother was an arsonist and suspected of sexually abusing young children (Robert may have been a victim himself.) One of the brothers left to stay in a voluntary care center. Others attempted suicide. The police and social workers knew the Thompson boys well. All of the Thompsons were truants and learned to despise authority.
For all of Robert’s toughness, he still exhibited childish tendencies for which he was teased. He played with troll dolls and sucked his thumb. Molded into hardness beyond his years and forced to repress his own childishness, it is possible that Robert took out his aggressions on an innocent baby, something Robert himself was never allowed to be.
Jon Venables
Jon was attention-seeking at school, cutting himself with scissors. In one incident, he approached another classmate from behind and began choking the boy with a wooden ruler. It took two adults to pry Jon off of the boy.
His father Neil was often unemployed. Jon was the middle child, and both of his siblings had developmental problems. Jon was stuck in the middle, feeling ignored, and perhaps resentful of the attention his siblings received. Sometimes Jon would mimic his older brother’s tantrums.
Susan and Neil Venables had a tumultuous relationship, splitting apart, and then reuniting. The instability affected all three kids. Both parents had histories of clinical depression, and Susan was particularly prone to hysterics. She had been observed physically and verbally assaulting Jon. At the age of seven, Jon was showing signs of anti-social behavior. He hated the neighborhood children who would tease him and his siblings.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Detailed Proposal
I don't think I'm quite ready to fill this out yet but I thought I'd see what I could answer and then that would give me a better idea of what I should focus on in the week before half term.
1. Topic Area
Crime and the Media
2. Proposed title, question, hypothesis
Is there such a thing as copycat crime?
3. Teacher approval granted, in principal?
Yes
4. Principle texts (if text based study)
The Jamie Bulger Case
A school shooting case, either Columbine or Virginia Tech
5. Reason for choice
After completing the film censorship unit, which covered many of the same areas of theory, for example the hypodermic needle model as well as just the overall concept of copycat crime, I knew I was very interested in this topic and have a good level of background knowledge to work from. The theory is understandable as well as interesting, and I think I would be able to cover it in more depth . There is a good amount of research and resources to help me, yet it is not an area that has already been done so much that there is nowhere further to go.
6. Academic context for this study (similar research, relevant theory, named theorists)
Many research studies done in this area
Focus on David Buckinghams research which involved holding focus groups with children and asking them what they thought
Also Bandura and the Bobo Doll Study, which is widely known as being 'proof' of the for side of the media effects debate
Relevant theory will include:
- Cause and effect debate
- Hypodermic needle model
- Just in Case argument
- Passive and Active viewing theories
7. Institutional context for this study (industry focus, other texts for comparison, named practitioners, relevant theory, issues, questions)
Industry perspective on the debate, including the opinions of filmmakers such as Ken Russell and Roman Polanski
This section needs work...
8. Identify the audience context for this study (audience profile, access to audience, potential sample)
Audience profile is very wide, almost copletely unlimited as everyone will have their own views on the power that the media has to influence opinions. Key groups will be children (aged between 8 and 16) and adults ages between around 40 and 50, as I think it would be interesting to see whether different generations have different views.
However I will ask a wide range of people, of all ages and both genders and see what patterns I will identify.
Audience research will be conducted mainly using one-to-one interviews, as this allows more detailed answers, and as this issue is quite complex, I think it would be hard to acheive useful material in a group situation.
9. How will the 4 key concepts be relevant to your study (audience, institution, forms and conventions, representation)?
Audience: Audience is key to this study, as everyone consumes media texts and has views on the issue of media effects. It is the general public that reads newspapers, watches films and listens to the radio, and so asking audience opinions is something I will draw many of my conclusions from.
Industry: Industry is also important, as they present almost the other side of the debate. The majority of filmmakers believe in freedom of expression, which comes into the debate of how important censorship is in minimising media effect.
Forms and conventions: ???
Representation: Representation comes into my study in different ways. It could be discussed in the way that how violence, sexual violence or imitable techniques are represented on screen changes the effect it has on the consumer. Equally it could be looked at by researching how media is represented in newspapers etc - ie, it is said to have a negative effect, and is overexaggerated at times, creating moral panics.
10 Potential research sources (secondary): secondary academic books and websites, secondary industry books and websites, secondary popular criticism. Please identify specific examples you have come across.
Books
'Crime And Law In Media Culture' - Sheila Brown
'Film Censorship' - Guy Phelps
'Classified! A Teachers Guide To Film Censorship And Classification' - Richard Falcon
'Crime And The Media' - David Kidd-Hewitt and Richard Osborne
Websites:
To be added
11. Potential research sources (primary): audience reception research, your own content/textual analysis etc
Audience research collected, in the form of questionnaires as well as notes from interviews
Content analysis of sequences from Childs Play 3, in relation to the Jamie Bulger case
12. Modifications agreed with your lead teacher
tbc
13. Potential limits/obstacles/problems?
none that I can think of at the moment
14. Teacher concerns
tbc
15. Teacher approval
tbc
After completing this, it seems the main areas I need to work on are the industry context, as well as relating my study to forms and conventions. I also need to start adding websites and other primary and secondary sources to my lists.
1. Topic Area
Crime and the Media
2. Proposed title, question, hypothesis
Is there such a thing as copycat crime?
3. Teacher approval granted, in principal?
Yes
4. Principle texts (if text based study)
The Jamie Bulger Case
A school shooting case, either Columbine or Virginia Tech
5. Reason for choice
After completing the film censorship unit, which covered many of the same areas of theory, for example the hypodermic needle model as well as just the overall concept of copycat crime, I knew I was very interested in this topic and have a good level of background knowledge to work from. The theory is understandable as well as interesting, and I think I would be able to cover it in more depth . There is a good amount of research and resources to help me, yet it is not an area that has already been done so much that there is nowhere further to go.
6. Academic context for this study (similar research, relevant theory, named theorists)
Many research studies done in this area
Focus on David Buckinghams research which involved holding focus groups with children and asking them what they thought
Also Bandura and the Bobo Doll Study, which is widely known as being 'proof' of the for side of the media effects debate
Relevant theory will include:
- Cause and effect debate
- Hypodermic needle model
- Just in Case argument
- Passive and Active viewing theories
7. Institutional context for this study (industry focus, other texts for comparison, named practitioners, relevant theory, issues, questions)
Industry perspective on the debate, including the opinions of filmmakers such as Ken Russell and Roman Polanski
This section needs work...
8. Identify the audience context for this study (audience profile, access to audience, potential sample)
Audience profile is very wide, almost copletely unlimited as everyone will have their own views on the power that the media has to influence opinions. Key groups will be children (aged between 8 and 16) and adults ages between around 40 and 50, as I think it would be interesting to see whether different generations have different views.
However I will ask a wide range of people, of all ages and both genders and see what patterns I will identify.
Audience research will be conducted mainly using one-to-one interviews, as this allows more detailed answers, and as this issue is quite complex, I think it would be hard to acheive useful material in a group situation.
9. How will the 4 key concepts be relevant to your study (audience, institution, forms and conventions, representation)?
Audience: Audience is key to this study, as everyone consumes media texts and has views on the issue of media effects. It is the general public that reads newspapers, watches films and listens to the radio, and so asking audience opinions is something I will draw many of my conclusions from.
Industry: Industry is also important, as they present almost the other side of the debate. The majority of filmmakers believe in freedom of expression, which comes into the debate of how important censorship is in minimising media effect.
Forms and conventions: ???
Representation: Representation comes into my study in different ways. It could be discussed in the way that how violence, sexual violence or imitable techniques are represented on screen changes the effect it has on the consumer. Equally it could be looked at by researching how media is represented in newspapers etc - ie, it is said to have a negative effect, and is overexaggerated at times, creating moral panics.
10 Potential research sources (secondary): secondary academic books and websites, secondary industry books and websites, secondary popular criticism. Please identify specific examples you have come across.
Books
'Crime And Law In Media Culture' - Sheila Brown
'Film Censorship' - Guy Phelps
'Classified! A Teachers Guide To Film Censorship And Classification' - Richard Falcon
'Crime And The Media' - David Kidd-Hewitt and Richard Osborne
Websites:
To be added
11. Potential research sources (primary): audience reception research, your own content/textual analysis etc
Audience research collected, in the form of questionnaires as well as notes from interviews
Content analysis of sequences from Childs Play 3, in relation to the Jamie Bulger case
12. Modifications agreed with your lead teacher
tbc
13. Potential limits/obstacles/problems?
none that I can think of at the moment
14. Teacher concerns
tbc
15. Teacher approval
tbc
After completing this, it seems the main areas I need to work on are the industry context, as well as relating my study to forms and conventions. I also need to start adding websites and other primary and secondary sources to my lists.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Books to look at
'Crime And Law In Media Culture' - Sheila Brown
'Film Censorship' - Guy Phelps
'Classified! A Teachers Guide To Film Censorship And Classification' - Richard Falcon
'Crime And The Media' - David Kidd-Hewitt and Richard Osborne
'Film Censorship' - Guy Phelps
'Classified! A Teachers Guide To Film Censorship And Classification' - Richard Falcon
'Crime And The Media' - David Kidd-Hewitt and Richard Osborne
Type of source: Secondary academic
Benefits of source:
- Material can be trusted, has been written and edited by professionals
- Has a bibliography so I can do further reading if necessary
Limitations of source:
- Takes a lot of time and effort to find the material needed
David Gauntletts Argument against the Media Effects theory
Theorist David Gauntlett compiled a list of 10 problems he found with the Media Ef
fects argument at http://www.theory.org.uk/david/effects.htm. This article was published (as 'Ten things wrong with the "effects model"') in Roger Dickinson, Ramaswani Harindranath & Olga Linné, eds (1998), Approaches to Audiences – A Reader, published by Arnold, London. I have picked the 4 that I find the most important to summarise in my own words and go into more detail about.
1. The effects model tackles social problems 'backwards'
Researchers should start with the person who comitted the crime and work backwards, finding out what triggered them, rather than starting with a media text and attempting to create links. Criminologists tend to cite social factors such as poverty, unemployment, housing, and the behaviour of family and peers as reasons for teenage crime rather than media influence.
In a study interviewing 78 violent teenage offenders and then tracing their behaviour back towards media usage, in comparison with a group of over 500 'ordinary' school pupils of the same age - Hagell & Newburn (1994) found that the young offenders watched less television and video
than their counterparts and had no particular interest in violent programmes. The offenders were asked, 'If you had the chance to be someone who appears on television, who would you choose to be?': The response was often that they could not understand why they would want to be a television character, or simply that they could not think of anyone to name.
2. The effects model is often based on artificial studies
As a means of saving money, research studies into this area are generally simplified and have artificial elements to them. For example, studies typically take place in a laboratory. Instead of a full and naturally-viewed television diet, research subjects are likely to be shown selected clips which lack the context of the text, showing them gratuitous violence. They may then be observed in simulations of real life presented to them as a 'game,' in relation to inanimate objects such as Bandura's 'bobo' doll, which will not be taken as seriously by children.
4. The effects model assumes superiority to the masses
Research suggests that while some of society feel that the media may case violent behaviour, almost no-one says they have been affected themselves. Researchers who encounter violent material on a regular basis remain unconcerned for themselves as they believe the effects will
only be on others. This highlights one of the key double standards in the media effects debate, and while it could be argued that the ones we should be looking out for are children and the mentally unstable, the research also suggests that anyone watching a large amount of violent material will be affected and this view seems almost hypocritical when you consider the huge amount of violent or 'controversial' material that a researcher or media theorist consumes.
fects argument at http://www.theory.org.uk/david/effects.htm. This article was published (as 'Ten things wrong with the "effects model"') in Roger Dickinson, Ramaswani Harindranath & Olga Linné, eds (1998), Approaches to Audiences – A Reader, published by Arnold, London. I have picked the 4 that I find the most important to summarise in my own words and go into more detail about.1. The effects model tackles social problems 'backwards'
Researchers should start with the person who comitted the crime and work backwards, finding out what triggered them, rather than starting with a media text and attempting to create links. Criminologists tend to cite social factors such as poverty, unemployment, housing, and the behaviour of family and peers as reasons for teenage crime rather than media influence.
In a study interviewing 78 violent teenage offenders and then tracing their behaviour back towards media usage, in comparison with a group of over 500 'ordinary' school pupils of the same age - Hagell & Newburn (1994) found that the young offenders watched less television and video
than their counterparts and had no particular interest in violent programmes. The offenders were asked, 'If you had the chance to be someone who appears on television, who would you choose to be?': The response was often that they could not understand why they would want to be a television character, or simply that they could not think of anyone to name.2. The effects model is often based on artificial studies
As a means of saving money, research studies into this area are generally simplified and have artificial elements to them. For example, studies typically take place in a laboratory. Instead of a full and naturally-viewed television diet, research subjects are likely to be shown selected clips which lack the context of the text, showing them gratuitous violence. They may then be observed in simulations of real life presented to them as a 'game,' in relation to inanimate objects such as Bandura's 'bobo' doll, which will not be taken as seriously by children.
Effects studies also assume that the children will not alter their behaviour in response to being interviewed. This has been proven wrong by researchers such as Borden (1975) who have demonstrated that an observer can affect children's behaviour.
3. The effects model is selective in its criticisms of media depictions of violence
Violence in media as taken into account by effects studies is almost always in fictitious texts, rather than in real-life examples such as news. 
Violent behaviour in fictional programmes is said to have the greatest effect, even though consequences are often shown, and moral endings are common. The effects debate offers not reason why images shown in the news should not have a similar, or even greater effect. Studies have shown that even children have an inherent ability to tell the difference between real and fictional violence, and have cited that real-life violence has more of an effect on them.
4. The effects model assumes superiority to the masses
Research suggests that while some of society feel that the media may case violent behaviour, almost no-one says they have been affected themselves. Researchers who encounter violent material on a regular basis remain unconcerned for themselves as they believe the effects will
only be on others. This highlights one of the key double standards in the media effects debate, and while it could be argued that the ones we should be looking out for are children and the mentally unstable, the research also suggests that anyone watching a large amount of violent material will be affected and this view seems almost hypocritical when you consider the huge amount of violent or 'controversial' material that a researcher or media theorist consumes. Type of source: Secondary academic
Benefits of source:
- Written by a well-known and respected author
- Acknowledged in more than one book
Limitations of source:
- Very long and quite hard to sift through and summarise
Media Effects - An age old debate
Researcher Leonard Eron estimated at a 1993 conference that 10% of violence in the USA was due to televisionHad he looked back past the birth of television, he might have seen similar claims about film in a 1933 report by Blumer and Hauser who found that ‘motion pictures created attitudes and furnished techniques conducive to delinquent and criminal behaviour.’
Further back, he might have referred to the 1888 Punch attribution of crimes in Whitechapel to ‘highly coloured pictorial advertisements’ to an 1841 Inspectors of Prisons report claiming that theatres, if not corrupting the mind, ‘tend to its vitiation by familiarising it with scenes of
grossness, crime and blood’; or to a 1776 claim by Hanway that newspapers and amusements were to blame for ‘the host of thieves which has of late invaded us.’Can we take it, then, that a society free of television sets, cinema screens and the printing press* was safe from media effects? Apparently not! Socrates worried about the possible effects of the discovery of the alphabet and he wrote nothing, though reading and writing had been widespread in Athens, at least for administrative purposes, for over 100 years by the time of his birth in about 470 B.C.
Compiled from http://www.theory.org.uk/effec-tg.htm
This article is copyright © Tom Gormley, 1998
Type of source: Secondary popular
Benefits of source:
- Has a bibliography, which suggests it's quite academic, and also allows me to follow up the links
- Strong argument on the against side of the debate
Limitations of source:
- Not by a recognised author (About this article: Tom Gormley lives in Dublin and sent me this paper which, he says, "I wrote as an assignment for a distance-learning MA in January 1998, which you might find amusing". It's good. )
Hypodermic Needle or Magic Bullet Models
The "hypodermic needle theory" implied mass media had a direct, immediate and powerful effect on its audiences. The mass media in the 1940s and 1950s were perceived as a powerful influence on behavior change.The theory suggests that the mass media could influence a very large group of people directly and uniformly by ‘shooting’ or ‘injecting’ them with appropriate messages designed to trigger a desired response.
Both images used to express this theory (a bullet and a needle) suggest a powerful and direct flow of information from the sender to the receiver. The bullet theory graphically suggests that the message is a bullet, fired from the "media gun" into the viewer's "head". With similarly emotive imagery the hypodermic needle model suggests that media messages are inje
cted straight into a passive audience which is immediately influenced by the message. They express the view that the media is a dangerous means of communicating an idea because the receiver or audience is powerless to resist the impact of the message. There is no escape from the effect of the message in these models. The population is seen as a sitting duck. People are seen as passive and are seen as having a lot media material "shot" at them. People end up thinking what they are told because there is no other source of information.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is a theorist I have found who deals specifically in the area of copycat cri
me; he has written more than one book on the subject. The website http://www.copycateffect.com// provided me with some interesting case studies and thougts on crime as a result of media.
The Copycat EffectHow The Media and Popular Culture Trigger The Mayhem in Tomorrow's Headlinesby Loren ColemanParaview Pocket Books - Simon and Schuster, 2004, 308 pages
Wednesday, September 13, 2006 - Montreal, Quebec - Kimveer Gill, the 25-year-old shooter came to Dawson College, fully armed. He appeared to target what students call the "Jew Caf" a
nd opened fire, killing Anastasia de Sousa, 18, and wounding 19 other students. Gill was obsessed by the Columbine massacre. He mentioned online being a fan of several computer games (e.g. Super Columbine Massacre) and movies (e.g. Natural Born Killers, Matrix) with violent themes that have been played out in several school shootings.
Type of source: Secondary popular
Benefits of source:
- Published 2004-2006 so quite up to date
- By a recognised author
- Again gives specific case studies
Limitations of source:
- Personal opinions - made and edited by one man
- Also fails to name the case studies
Notes from criminology website
http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/learning.htm
From: Greek, Cecil. 1997a. Copy-cat crimes. In Rasmussen, R. Kent (ed.). Ready reference: Censorship. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.
Until the 1980s there was little empirical research dealing exclusively with copycat crime.
For example, an Australian study used a 3-year timeframe to compar
e police data on bank and other armed robberies with local newspaper stories on robberies during the same period. Robberies were compared for two 7-day periods immediately before and after the date of any newspaper story reporting a successful robbery. There was no evidence of any copycat effect following newspaper stories or after possible word-of-mouth communication about the commission of high-value bank robberies. Research results did not support the idea that newspaper reports of successful bank robberies stimulate copycat robberies of banks or other targets.
Ray Surette has done extensive research on copycat crimes since the mid-1980s. He argues that copycat crime is a persistent social phenomenon, common enough to influence the total crime picture, but mainly by influencing crime techniques rather than the motivation to commit a crime or the development of criminal tendencies.
In some cases, alleged copycats have stated they knew nothing of the previous publicized incident.
In 1995, a group of Tampa, FL teens bragged to police they stole cars and
shoot at robbery victims because earlier in the same week a 12-year-old
repeat robber had been granted probation rather than prison. The case had been given major media attention. Since terrorism is partially driven by media attention, it is not surprising that terrorists choose to repeat methods that have produced high media ratings in the past.
(This post isn't finished, I'm planning to refine and use this research)
Type of source: Secondary academic
Benefits of source:
- Academic, so more trustworthy than some websites.
- Relates copycat crime to other sources of media - ie newspapers, makes the link that if criminals receive publicity for something, it is likely to be repeated
- Use of examples, ie of research studies/theorists
Limitations of source:
- Published in 1997, so quite out of date
- Examples aren't named, so I cannot do much further research
From: Greek, Cecil. 1997a. Copy-cat crimes. In Rasmussen, R. Kent (ed.). Ready reference: Censorship. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.
Until the 1980s there was little empirical research dealing exclusively with copycat crime.
For example, an Australian study used a 3-year timeframe to compar
e police data on bank and other armed robberies with local newspaper stories on robberies during the same period. Robberies were compared for two 7-day periods immediately before and after the date of any newspaper story reporting a successful robbery. There was no evidence of any copycat effect following newspaper stories or after possible word-of-mouth communication about the commission of high-value bank robberies. Research results did not support the idea that newspaper reports of successful bank robberies stimulate copycat robberies of banks or other targets.Ray Surette has done extensive research on copycat crimes since the mid-1980s. He argues that copycat crime is a persistent social phenomenon, common enough to influence the total crime picture, but mainly by influencing crime techniques rather than the motivation to commit a crime or the development of criminal tendencies.
In some cases, alleged copycats have stated they knew nothing of the previous publicized incident.
In 1995, a group of Tampa, FL teens bragged to police they stole cars and
shoot at robbery victims because earlier in the same week a 12-year-old
repeat robber had been granted probation rather than prison. The case had been given major media attention. Since terrorism is partially driven by media attention, it is not surprising that terrorists choose to repeat methods that have produced high media ratings in the past.
(This post isn't finished, I'm planning to refine and use this research)
Type of source: Secondary academic
Benefits of source:
- Academic, so more trustworthy than some websites.
- Relates copycat crime to other sources of media - ie newspapers, makes the link that if criminals receive publicity for something, it is likely to be repeated
- Use of examples, ie of research studies/theorists
Limitations of source:
- Published in 1997, so quite out of date
- Examples aren't named, so I cannot do much further research
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
First Thoughts
After reading some of the posts on the main critical research blog, I think the area I am most interested in is 'Crime in the Media,' and specifically the notion of crimes as a result of media, or copycat crimes. This links quite closely with the censorship unit we have just finished, which could be seen as a plus or a minus, but it is definitely one of the topic areas I think will be quite interesting and something I could go into a lot of depth about.
I tried to answer the initial proposal questions
1. Which topic area is this proposal for?
Crime and the Media
2. What is the suggested focus?
Copycat crimes, and specifically as a result of film. Specific examples will include 'Childs Play 3,' and a more recent example about college shootings such as Columbine or Virginia Tech
I tried to answer the initial proposal questions
1. Which topic area is this proposal for?
Crime and the Media
2. What is the suggested focus?
Copycat crimes, and specifically as a result of film. Specific examples will include 'Childs Play 3,' and a more recent example about college shootings such as Columbine or Virginia Tech
3. Do you have an idea for a question/problematic?
Is there such a thing as copycat crime?
4. Why would you choose this?
It is an area I have a lot of thoughts about, and think it would be interesting to discuss the perceived view and then use facts to try and prove or disprove this. There is a lot of opportunity to use theory effectively, as well as presenting a balanced argument.
5. Do you have any concerns or are there any limitations to this proposal?
I'm not sure if it's a bad thing that we have just finished the censorship unit that deals with this exact subject. Although that was only in film, so I could look at video games, magazines etc and give a wider scope.
6. Can you rate it on a sliding scale 1- 5?
4
Is there such a thing as copycat crime?
4. Why would you choose this?
It is an area I have a lot of thoughts about, and think it would be interesting to discuss the perceived view and then use facts to try and prove or disprove this. There is a lot of opportunity to use theory effectively, as well as presenting a balanced argument.
5. Do you have any concerns or are there any limitations to this proposal?
I'm not sure if it's a bad thing that we have just finished the censorship unit that deals with this exact subject. Although that was only in film, so I could look at video games, magazines etc and give a wider scope.
6. Can you rate it on a sliding scale 1- 5?
4
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