News Sources and Perceptions of Crime
Frank Newport at Gallup:
An important study from Pew Research last year showed that Americans are most likely to get their information about local crime from friends, family, neighbors and local news outlets.
These local sources aren’t available at the national level. Most Americans have no general experience with crime “out there” across the country. They instead rely on information from media (mass or social).
This national news coverage can easily end up leaving the impression of higher (or, in some cases, lower) levels of crime than is actually the case. National media (traditional and social) often highlight violent, unusual or geographically dispersed crimes. These may be rare, for the most part. But they can add up in the public imagination as being constantly occurring. This, in turn, can lead to perceptions of a nation facing serious crime problems. (Local news also, of course, features crime as a routine staple of local news coverage. But Americans have their personal experiences as a check against what the local media portray.)
Additionally, today’s news environment increasingly includes news sites and social media that cater to particular niche audiences. These sources can often amplify or downplay the seriousness of crime in order to promote desired narratives and policies. These frames, in turn, could shape national evaluations, even if not factually accurate.
