Does the Media Cause Crime...

This topic seems to cause quite a stir among all generations! Does the media cause crime...I would have to say no. Does it have a hand in promoting crime...that's a solid yes.

There is a thin line that should be walked among those in the media industry. While it's important for citizens to stay informed of different events, it's equally as important for us not to be overwhelmed by them. The media definitely plays it's part in glamorizing the "murder down the street" while downplaying the importance of other issues.

Let me give you an example...or many examples...

OJ Simpson's face was plastered on every media venue known to man after being accused of murder. He was one of the best football players of all time...but, you saw him more as the "accused killer". Walk through any book store and I'm sure you'll find more titles about his crimes than about his career!

Michael Vick...yes, another football player! I would have to say he is one of the most talented quarterbacks I've seen in a long time. BUT...you would know him better as the "dog fighter". Honestly, don't we see things like that in every town. I guess since he's famous, the media feels the need to give him a "higher than God" status.

Barry Bonds - baseball - steroids...who would have guessed! Ever been to a gym? I don't see any of those guys at the center of controversy. If steroids wasn't an issue, then there wouldn't be testing on a high school level. Once again...there's things like that in every town.

Andy Dick just got busted the other day...I'm sure you've heard. Drugs and some sex thing with a 17 year old girl. Apparently, he pulled her top down in public - what a pig! That crime warranted the top spot on the AOL homepage...go figure. There's a guy like that where I'm from...he lives right up the street! Maybe Andy Dick is his role model - we should ship them all off to their own little island and make a reality show about them. Let's call it Pedophilia Island...they can live happily ever after with each other!

The media tries to tell you that they're just keeping you informed. If that was the case, they wouldn't be glamorizing it as much as they do. I'm sure the details of what they broadcast sink into the brain after the first hundred or so times they show it! That leaves the question of "why"? It's all part of society in the modern world. There seems to be this hypnotizing craze over crime and drama. That always leads to someone wanting to do it better...to become just as famous. When will it ever end?

Let's get to the topic of how they down-play certain things. Did you ever read about a story...or see one on the news that just tugged at your heart strings? I have! When my teenage boys were little, I remember a story of a boy being kidnapped. He lived about 10 miles from where we lived at the time. He was 11 years old - I think! He was a lower-middle class white boy that lived in the country. He never made it home from school one day. I can still picture his face in my head. Maybe I can remember his face because I saw his missing person poster in Wal-Mart the other day. I'm sure his parent's never stopped looking for him, but after about a week, the media didn't pay much attention to it! That really leaves something to be said about priorities!

So, I'll end this with saying that although the media doesn't cause crime, it does play it's part. With every news story comes ratings...with every crime, those ratings increase. So, to cover their desire to be the best they will flock to wherever they need to be. They will follow the dollar signs to the most high profile cases they can find. And when you turn on CNN tomorrow, just know that in a few months or years...someone will try to "out-do" the crime you are watching unfold.