As I read Sissela Bok’s “Aggression: The Impact of Media Violence” I found myself wondering what evidence was presented in her article that clearly showed the correlation between media violence, increased aggressive behaviour and violent crime in America. Bok tried to link the impact of media violence to an increase in violent crime but did not include any discussion regarding other factors linked to violent behaviour, including mental illness, poverty, addictions, access to guns and other important factors that needed to be included.
Bok’s purpose is to show the link between an increase in aggression, violent crime and media violence because it “directly injures others and represents a more clear-cut violation of standards of behaviour.” She states that violent crime peaked in the early 1990s and even though overall crime rates declined in 1992, violent crime did not. Although she states that media coverage of violence continued to escalate at this time, she does not provide further statistical information that violent crime also escalated during the same time period.
Bok is unsure why America has a higher rate of violent crime than other industrialized countries stating that “we need to ask questions of why our rate of violent crime is higher.” Canada is mentioned as one of these countries but clearly our media is inundated with the same US programs depicting violence but our violent crime rates continue to be substantially lower than the US. Bok acknowledges that many professionals argue that it is difficult to establish that the media is a major cause of increased aggression, and other factors must be looked at when determining the cause of societal crime. These include drug abuse, poverty, alcoholism, population changes, and even firearm possession. All these factors are contributors to societal violence and should be examined as a combination of cause for violent crimes. Bok states “that the media accounts for between 5 and 15 percent of societal violence.” The margin of this statistic is too large and does not clearly show what percentage of violent crimes can be linked to the media. There is no evidence of the media being a major contributor to violent crimes, or that the media is the main link to societal violence. Bok even indicates that more research would be needed to determine what violent images are responsible for sparking aggression.
Although Bok’s introduces some evidence about the correlation between violent crimes and media coverage; she does not present hard evidence that proves the media is a major cause of an increase in violent crimes. The media coverage of violent crimes may be one of the many contributors that increase societal crimes. Bok needs to evaluate some of the other factors that our linked to an increase in aggression and violent crime.
Do you think that the media in Canada presents the coverage of violent crime differently than the US media?
I definitely believe that the media in the United States is more graphic and detailed when covering violent crimes on the news. They never leave anything to the imagination. The media is very descriptive about the crimes, whereas the Canadian media give little to no detail. When watching the news in the US it is not uncommon for the TV camera to zoom in on the blood stains left over from horrendous crimes.
ReplyDeleteA good analysis of Bok's article and its effectiveness. Thank you for this insightful blog and the interesting question you pose at the end.
ReplyDeleteI remember watching a lot of U.S. coverage on the shooting of a group of police officers as they sat in a coffee shop. Do you remember that crime? I don't remember any difference in terms of media coverage. I think the U.S. coverage was the same as Canada's coverage: the focus was on it being a tragic incident and a targeted shooting.
I don't recall that incident. I do think certain stories would be covered in the same fashion. However, in Canada we seem to have a lot less violent crime to cover.
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