How is the media linked with crime?
Some cases of media - inspired crime since 1993:
James Bulger, murdered by other older children whose over-riding pastime was watching violent videos;
Michael Moss, kicked to death in a re-enactment of a scene from Reservoir Dogs;
The women who were raped and murdered by American serial killer and porn addict, Ted Bundy, executed in 1989.
The teenagers killed in the Columbine High School Massacre (linked with film "Basketball Diaries" and Red Lake school, Minnesota (linked with Marilyn Manson's music)
Zahid Mubarak beaten to death by another inmate at Feltham who had just watched a violent video;
Jane Longhurst murdered in horrific circumstances by a man who had been viewing violent pornographic websites;
Stefan Pakeerah murdered by another teenager who was obsessed with the ultra-violent PC game "Manhunt".
A. Some research on the effects of media violence
Birmingham University researchers at the Centre for Forensic and Family Psychology (The Lancet 16 Feb 2005) found that the influence of media violence on children's behaviour is as strong as the influence that the use of condoms has on the prevention of the spread of the HIV virus or the effect that passive smoking at work has on lung cancer.
"Television Viewing and Aggressive Behaviour during Adolescence and Adulthood", Jeffrey G Johnson at al, University of Columbia, pub. Science Magazine, 29 March 2002 vol. 295
Method: Television viewing and aggressive behaviour were assessed over a 17 year period in a community sample of 707 individuals.
Results: There was a significant association between the amount of time spent watching TV during adolescence and early adulthood and the likelihood of subsequent aggressive acts against others. This association remained significant after previous aggressive behaviour, childhood neglect, family income, neighbourhood violence, parental education and psychiatric disorders were controlled statistically.
"Television Violence and Behaviour: a Research summary", the Educational Resources Information Centre, Syracuse, NY.
The overall pattern of research findings indicates a positive association between television violence and aggressive behaviour. It also lists and summarises a large amount of further research in more detail.
B. Some research on the effects of sexually explicit media content
"A meta-analysis of the published research on the effects of pornography", Elizabeth Oddone- Paolucci, Mark Genuis and Claudio Violato, University of Calgary. Medicine, Mind and Adolescence, 1997
Method: A meta-analysis of 46 previous studies (from 1965 to 1995), undertaken to determine whether exposure to pornographic stimuli over the lifespan has any effect on sexual deviancy, sexual offending, intimate relationships and attitudes regarding the rape myth (i.e. women cause rape, should resist or prevent it, and rapists are normal).
It deals with the whole range of pornographic material, from "mild pornography" (nudes, persons engaging in petting and non-violent acts of sexual intercourse without genitalia visible), through "erotica or explicit porn" (consensual non violent sexual acts with genitalia visible), to "violent porn" (depictions of rape, degradation, sexual aggression or sadism).
Results: The 46 studies included 12,323 people. "The results are clear and consistent; exposure to pornographic material puts one at an increased risk for developing sexually deviant tendencies, committing sexual offences, experiencing difficulties in one's intimate relationships, and accepting the rape myth. In order to promote a healthy and stable society, it is time that we attend to the culmination of sound empirical research..The rise in sexual crimes, sexual dysfunction and family breakdown may be linked to increased availability and use of porn."
C. Other research
Screening Violence - edited by Stephen Prince (Athlone Press London).
This is a compilation. Some of the contributors: Mass Media Effects on Violent Behaviour by Richard B. Felson. He quotes F.S.Andison (1977) TV Violence and viewer aggression : A cumulation of study results 1956-1976.
R A Baron and P A Bell 1973 "Effects of heightened sexual arousal on physical aggression and in 1977 - Sexual arousal and aggression by males: Effects of type of erotic stimuli and prior provocation."
L Berkowitz - several studies - many appeared in 'Journal of Personality and Social Psychology' 1965, 1973, 1984; 'American Psychologist'; 'Public Opinion Quarterly' - (Berkowitz, Corwin & Heironimus 1962 - Film Violence and Subsequent aggressive tendencies)
S. Boeringer 1994 - Pornography and Sexual Aggression: Associations of violent and non-violent depictions with rape and rape proclivity. This list continues for several pages, showing just how much research there has been!¨The Effects of Television - edited by James Hallorana - Panther Modern Society 1970
The 'Copycat' effect:
"Compelling evidence that extensive media coverage of a suicide is followed by an increase in the number of people taking their lives the same way. This pattern has been observed around the world. A World Health Organisation report in 2000 warned that repeated coverage of suicides tends to encourage suicidal preoccupations particularly among young people.
What especially concerns the American Psychiatric Association is that the effect applies equally to suicides that are preceded by mass murder. In the months after Teenagers Klebold and Harris killed a teacher, 12 students and themselves at Columbine High School in April 1999, police received hundreds of related incidents. ...Students mimicked the killers' behaviour and style of dress, and praised them on the Internet." The number of copycat suicides is proportional to the amount of media coverage they get. (Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, vol 35 p251)
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