Concerns about crime and local television news

"If it bleeds it leads."; The crime story is the most popular topic for the typical local television news broadcast, comprising at least 28% of the stories covered. The present hypothesis predicts that greater amounts of local television news viewing will be associated with greater support...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Communication research reports 2004-06, Vol.21 (3), p.310-315
Main Author: Trautman, Todd C.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:"If it bleeds it leads."; The crime story is the most popular topic for the typical local television news broadcast, comprising at least 28% of the stories covered. The present hypothesis predicts that greater amounts of local television news viewing will be associated with greater support for policies that punish criminals as opposed to support for policies that address social problems causing crime. The results suggest that local television news viewing habits provide a unique contribution to that support. After controlling for relevant background variables and other news sources increased viewing of local news media is associated with greater support for punishment of those convicted of crimes.
ISSN:0882-4096
1746-4099
DOI:10.1080/08824090409359993