Crime Myths

Criminal events are transferred into myth often through bias and distortion. This distortion occurs without intention as a result of the mass media collecting, processing and broadcasting information.
What is presented to the public in terms of crime events depends on the opinions of reporters. Their translations of events are rarely a result of actual observation. They interview witnesses and crime victims who more often than not bring a sense of bias in their accounts of an event. This complication of information is then used to compile a story that is later presented to a number of people.
Many journalists are driven by the competitiveness involved in the mass media profession. This guides them towards the use of selective memories and acting in an ignorant way towards certain facts. They want to produce a story that will gain ratings and excite people. These factors are relevant from the start of the reporting process. This process begins when an actual story to cover is chosen and continues through to the end when the selected story is presented to the public.
The audience of a media presentation make selective observations. Most remember eye-catching parts to a news story but other important elements will escape their minds. Images that are taken in by viewers can stay within their memory for an extended period.
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