Question 10: Both conflict and consensus theories can be curiously celebratory of media representations of crime. How so? Do you find one of these accounts of crime more compelling than the other?
Both conflict and consensus theories can be curiously celebratory of the way in which the mass media manipulate representations of crime. On the one hand, the consensus theory, inspired by Durkheim, emphasises the states need for crime in order to promote, police and maintain social stability and solidarity. Opposing this is Marx’s conflict theory, which suggests that the media is controlled by, and thus reflects the sole interests of, the ruling elite that inflict a false consciousness upon members of society. However due to the fact that audiences of the twenty-first century are better equipped than ever to form an opinion and speak out against what the media currently depicts as the ‘norm’, this essay will portray the argument that the consensus theory’s account of representations of crime in the media is more compelling than that of conflict.
The definition of crime is contextual and can vary over time and across cultures. A direct reflection of what the State is currently deeming to be deviant or immoral, the perceived definition of crime, and thus legal systems, are ever changing. In this way crime is very much a social construction which draws on media representations that are assumed to reflect public opinion. However, conflict theorists would strongly disagree with this last statement. Despite the broad and ever changing definition of crime, how it is represented in the media is considerably narrow in comparison. Jewkes (2004, p60), has suggested that the majority of news stories are rated for their ‘newsworthiness’ based on the level of amusement or repulsion that can be provoked within audience members. The constant misrepresentation of crime in the media creates moral panics that stem from unnecessary fears about stories that are far from the reality...