Reform vs. Abolition
This approach keeps policing but attempts to improve it.
What is reform?
Framing crime as the result of individual choices rather than social conditions is called this type of framing.
What is individual framing?
Portraying a group as dangerous outsiders is known as this.
What is othering?
The chapter argues media is not a mirror but this—shaping reality.
What is a prism?
According to the chapter, this element often communicates meaning more powerfully than text.
What are visuals (or images)?
This perspective argues that policing itself produces harm.
What is abolition?
Framing crime as rooted in inequality, poverty, or systemic forces is this type of framing.
What is structural framing?
Calling offenders “monsters” or “evil” reflects this process.
What is demonization?
Highly publicized cases that dominate media attention are called this.
What are mega-cases?
Studying only written articles and ignoring images results in losing this.
What is context (or visual meaning)?
Redirecting funding from policing to housing and mental health reflects this approach.
What is abolition?
Media stories that reduce crime to “good vs evil” reflect this tendency.
What is simplification (or binary framing)?
Highlighting only “perfect victims” who are innocent and sympathetic is called this.
What is sentimentalization?
Audiences who emotionally experience crime through media are known as this.
What are virtual victims?
Grouping multiple crime stories together can create the impression of this.
What is a crime wave?
This framing focuses on “bad apples” rather than systemic problems.
What is reform framing?
Ignoring broader context like housing or inequality in a crime story demonstrates this issue.
What is lack of context?
Elevating victims into symbolic or almost sacred figures is known as this.
What is sanctification?
The media’s tendency to highlight dramatic crimes while ignoring common ones is called this.
What is selectivity?
The chapter describes media as producing an “inflationary spiral” of this and this.
What are shock and enticement?
A city responds to repeated police violence by expanding officer training, increasing funding for body cameras, and creating new oversight committees—but does not reduce policing or shift resources elsewhere. Critics argue the response ignores root causes.
What is reform (framing or approach)?
Two news stories cover the same robbery:
- Story A focuses on the suspect’s criminal history and poor decision-making
- Story B emphasizes unemployment, housing instability, and lack of social services
What are individual framing and structural framing?
A missing persons case receives national attention because the victim is described as a “bright, innocent college student with a promising future,” while similar cases involving marginalized individuals receive little coverage.
This reflects both (1) process of victim construction and (2) broader issue in media coverage.
What are sentimentalization and selectivity?
(Accept also: inequality in representation / differential visibility)
After a widely publicized violent crime, news outlets repeatedly revisit the case, politicians reference it in speeches, and the public begins to feel crime is increasing—even though crime rates are stable.
This demonstrates how media functions as this, shaping perception rather than reflecting reality.
What is a prism? (could also be argued mega-case& perception distortion)
A news segment shows looping footage of a violent arrest from multiple angles, paired with dramatic music and close-ups, while offering minimal contextual information.
This example demonstrates (1) how visuals can amplify this emotional effect and (2) contribute to this broader perception about crime.
What are shock (or fear) and a crime wave (or distorted perception of crime)?