Abstract This paper attempts to determine why so many people are so interested in crime by analyzing the subject of crime stories in the news media. It focuses on the research of Steven Chernak who found some support for the hypothesis that the seriousness of a crime is an important predictor of how much attention it will get in the news.
From the Paper "Chernak commences his article with a comprehensive literature review. In this review, he reports on other studies into the subject of crime stories in the news media. Drawing on these studies, he points out that at least 25% of news space is allocated to crime stories. Of these, the crimes that receive the most attention are serious personal crimes, especially murder. On the other hand, the media pays scant attention to drug offences - although this does seem to be increasing. Researchers have also thrown some light on victim and defendant characteristics of crime stories. As Chernak notes, victims are most frequently portrayed as elderly or young, white, and male. "
