THE POLICE & MASS MEDIA.   Term Paper ID:25103 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Compares relationship in U.S. & United Kingdom. Examples, news blackouts, drugs, police brutality & coercion, sensational reporting.... More...

7 Pages / 1575 Words 12 sources, 18 Citations, APA Format $28.00 Return to List of Papers

Paper Abstract: Compares relationship in U.S. & United Kingdom. Examples, news blackouts, drugs, police brutality & coercion, sensational reporting. Paper Introduction: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE POLICE & THE PRESS: A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE US & THE UK Introduction This research examines the police and the press, with a focus on comparing the differences in this relationship in the United States (US) from that in the United Kingdom (UK). For purposes of this research, the term “press” is expanded to include mass media generally. Examination of the Issue The relation between the police and the press in both the US and the UK is complex and exists on many different levels of interaction. At one basic level, a sort of contest exists between the police and the press, as the press, in doing their job, attempts to find out from the police what the circumstances of Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Silverman, J. Police in both the US and the UK employ the tactic of a "newsblackout" in sensitive and time-critical investigations. On another level-attacking the drug problem, the police and the pressin both the US and the UK tend to cooperate. The kidnapping and murder of 12-year old Polly Klaas furthergalvanized the California citizenry into demands for effective action tokeep convicted violent offenders off the street ("'3 Strikes'" Now APolitical Cry in California," 1994). (1993, 9 December).The New York Times, B1. 3 ). Michael O'Keefe was accused of beating andshooting Jose Garcia in Washington Heights, New York but was acquitted by agrand jury" (Katz, 1993, p. In the United States, in a precedent-setting case, a newspaper,the News-Democrat of Belleville, Illinois, was ordered by a judge torelease information to police officer who was considering suing thenewspaper for slander (Fitzgerald, 1991, p. Guardian, S8-S9. Guardian, 6. Police story. 23, 1995, questioned whether the criminal justice system was beingrun as an entertainment business after at least seven witnesses in the Westtrial sold their stories to national newspapers for between 75 and 1 , pounds sterling" (Campbell, Dyer, Steele, & Younge, 1995, p. detectives are unrealistic" (Livingston, 1994, p. Crack magic puts us under its spell.New Statesman & Society, 4(174), 24-25. Thereare, however, no quantifiable levels of physical force, intimidation, orcoercion, the application of which by a police officer constitutes policebrutality per se in any situation. The high-stress police beat. 24). More happily, the described experiencesalso demonstrate that such actions on the part of police officers are notwidely condoned by police department administrations, public prosecutors,and judges and juries. (1997, 24 November). This situation arises mostdramatically in relation to charges of police brutality. Hewas found not guilty, but major TV networks showed the results of eighthours of tapes at least 1 times" (Frankel, 1997, p. Frankel, M. 2 ). (1997, 21 December). The New YorkTimes Magazine, 3 . "Television and film portrayals and newsmedia reports of crime give a distorted picture of the problem. Simultaneously, the police, in doingtheir job, are attempting to protect the confidentiality of information,the release of which might either compromise and on-going investigation orplace some party to an investigation in danger (Harvey, 1995)."Information must often be wheedled, cajoled and manipulated from reluctantsources. Editor & Publisher, 124(3 ), 2 . Conclusion The relationship between the police and the press is similar in the USand the UK. A reverse situation also exists, wherein the press attempts topreserve the confidentiality of its informants and of their records, whilethe police attempt to obtain this information to assist them in theirinquiries. For example, in the celebrated case of Policy Klaas in California,it has been charged that the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department newsblackout policy invoked in the early stages of the investigation may haveaided abductor Richard Allen who later was captured and convicted of thekidnapping and murder of Polly Klaas ("Police News Media Policy May HaveAided Abductor," 1993, p. At onebasic level, a sort of contest exists between the police and the press, asthe press, in doing their job, attempts to find out from the police whatthe circumstances of some action are. Unfortunately different people-more often than not, the policeon one side, and some civilian or group of civilians on the other side,evaluate situations differently, and, therefore, make different assessmentsof the appropriateness of the use of physical force, intimidation, orcoercion by police officers in given situations. (1994, May). Fitzgerald, M. If the definition of police brutality relied only on the applicationof a quantifiable level of physical force by a police officer, or onspecific types of intimidation or coercion, the debate over policebrutality would be largely a technical exercise similar to the debatesurrounding what is an what is not a cruel and unusual punishment. The application of physical force,intimidation, and coercion by police officers is widely recognized as bothappropriate and necessary in some situations. Toobin, J. wishing to remain anonymous mustbe attributed carefully, so that identification isn't obvious ....Changing a line around can really hurt a beat reporter .... In another case of police/press collusion in theUnited States, on case in Montana, television crews accompanied police "toa ranch to investigate charges of a rancher poisoning protected eagles. Livingston, J. (1991, 27 July). Racial and ethnic minorities, by an large, are convinced that policeofficers, by an large, have few compunctions against using violence againstthem. Although a relatively strong and persistent public perception existsto the effect that police department administrations, public prosecutors,and judges and juries tend to turn a blind eye to civilian complaints ofthe use of excessive physical force, intimidation, and coercion by policeofficers, the facts of the matter are almost the opposite of the widelyheld public perception. Crime and the media: Myths and reality.USA Today (Magazine), 122(2588), 4 -42. Murdersand other sensational crimes are overemphasized, and depictions of police... Taylor, D. For purposes of this research, theterm "press" is expanded to include mass media generally. Allen Davis, who had beenarrested on 3 November for violating the conditions of his parole,confessed to the abduction and murder of Polly Klaas, and led policeinvestigators to the body (Toobin, 1994). One strong public perception among racial and ethnic minorities isthat police solidarity will prevail against civilian efforts to hold policeofficers accountable for the unacceptable use of force, intimidation, andcoercion. S8). usually don't" (Harvey, 1995, p. Detectives ... In the UK, the Chief Constable Tony Butler of Gloucestershire,England, "criticised the behaviour of the press during his force'sinvestigation of the 1 murders for which Rosemary West was sentenced tolife imprisonment on Nov. This type ofaction on the part of responsible jurisdictions, as justified as it may be,convinces many minority racial and ethnic civilians that individual policeofficers and police departments have little incentive to cease the use ofexcessive force (Shernock, 199 ). In has been charged that: "The media seem suddenly willing to portraypolice as racist and brutal without investigating the truth of eachincident of alleged brutality. 3 ). Examination of the Issue The relation between the police and the press in both the US and theUK is complex and exists on many different levels of interaction. Nevertheless, police in both countries tend tocooperate with the police in such cases more often than they attempt tocircumvent the tactic. (1993, 21 January). Such actions on the part ofpolice officers are classified as brutality only when the level of physicalforce, intimidation, or coercion is deemed inappropriate for a givensituation. Relationship Between the Police & the Press: A Comparison Between the US & the UK Introduction This research examines the police and the press, with a focus oncomparing the differences in this relationship in the United States (US)from that in the United Kingdom (UK). Almost superhuman efforts were made by thecitizens of Petaluma to locate Polly Klaas and return her safely home, theother shoe finally dropped on 4 December 1993. Conversely, the application of physicalforce, intimidation, or coercion by police officers has been found to havebeen inappropriate when a police officer kicked and arrested person in thegroin, as the arrested person was lying on his stomach, when policeofficers beat motorists during a traffic stop, when police officersassaulted a store owner during an unwarranted arrest, when a police officerintimidated an arrested individual by placing a revolver in the arrestedperson's mouth and threatened to "blow your head off" ("Firearms," 199 , p.138), the beating of intoxicated persons by police officers, and beatingarrestees by police officers to the point that stitches are required by thebeaten person. (1995, 24 November).Police feared press would ruin case. p.3 ). Quotes from police officers ... Katz, J. Oneshould also remember that police officers themselves are often the targetsof violent behaviors by civilians (Abrams, 1991). In the UK, three journalists affiliated with the Green Anarchistmagazine were "convicted of conspiracy to incite and sentenced to threeyears imprisonment. Unhappily, the experiences described in the preceding paragraphvividly demonstrate that the excessive use of physical force, intimidation,and coercion by police does occur. 22, 1995. NewYork Times, B8. (1991, 25 October). (1994, 7 March). 4 ). British police do have somewhat greater statutory authority tocompel the press to refrain from some actions than do their counterparts inthe IS. At times, however, such tactics backfire on thepolice. (1995, July-August). Unprecedented court order: Judge tellsnewspaper to release information to police officer who is thinking aboutsuing it for slander. New Yorker,7 (3), 38-48, 53. Allen, who has spent most of hislife incarcerated-usually for violent offenses, had been out on parole forthree months at the time he kidnapped and killed Polly Klaas. Polly Klaas's mother and half-sister were asleep,while she and two friends were enjoying a slumber party. 6). The not unexpectedoutcome of such conflicting perceptions is the current dilemma surroundingthe question of the existence and extent of police brutality in Americanlaw enforcement (Abrams, 1991). References Campbell, D, Dyer, C, Steele, J., & Younge, G. Police news media policy may have aided abductor. A14). Police in the UKhave a somewhat greater statutory authority than do police in the US toenforce this policy. At around 1 :3 PM on 1 October 1993, Allen Davis entered through anunlocked back door the house in which Polly Klaas lived with her mother inPetaluma (Toobin, 1994). The media target the police.Rolling Stone, (648), 3 -31. Cop killers? The case is seen as having seriousimplications for freedom of speech" (Taylor, 1997, p. Polly Klaas was killed by a manpreviously convicted for multiple violent offenses (Toobin, 1994). A case of sheep v. coyotes: When thepolice and news crew collude, they prey on the unsuspecting. Butler, speaking at a news conferenceon Nov. B1). In the now famousor infamous case of Abner Louima in New York City, "overblown mediacoverage of police brutality investigation concerning NYPD's 7 th precinctand torture of the Haitian immigrant" distorted to the detriment of the NewYork City Police Department the character of the official response to whatwas a very serious incident ("Police Story," 1997, p. Another strong public perception is that defensiveness towardracial and ethnic minority civilians on the part of police officers affectsthe ethical orientations of the police officers. The application of physical force, intimidation, or coercion by policeofficers has been found by courts to have been appropriate when individualsare resisting arrest, when individuals refuse to voluntarily permit thetaking of blood samples in driving under the influence incidents, when anindividual resists taking a breathalyzer test in driving under theinfluence incidents, and in instances where the detained individual isrecovering from a recent injury. The cooperative effort,however, frequently leads to criticism of both the police and the press.To illustrate this point, consider that, while estimates are that 8 percent of all cocaine users in both the US and the UK are white, policeefforts are "concentrated against black dealers in the US and the UK,"while the "media play up black addiction to crack because it is telegenic"(Silverman, 1991, p. Davisthen kidnapped Polly Klaas. (1994, 9 March). Unfortunately, findings in this area, at times,appear contradictory, an outcome in itself that tends to strengthen theperception that police officers get away with unacceptable conduct. Wall Street Journal, A14. "3 strikes" now a political cry in California. Three journalists are jailed for threeyears. The shock is that it happened here in Britain, bastion of freespeech. (1997, 2 August). Editorssometimes forget that. A powerful factornegatively affecting the public perception of police accountability inbrutality cases is the fact that fines against police officers for suchactions are typically paid by the responsible jurisdiction. Index on Censorship deputy editor Judith Vidal-Hallargues that mainstream newspapers have probably done more to incite peopleto commit criminal damage with their negative coverage of the Romanies fromeastern Europe than Green Anarchist has with its reports on environmentaland animal liberation direct actions. The man who kept going free. AmericanJournalism Review, 17(6), 28-33. Allen Davis boundthe hands and covered the heads of Polly Klaas and her two friends. Harvey, C. On yet another level, the police and the press become outrightadversaries in both the US and the UK. In the general approach to the reporting of criminal activity,however, police frequently contend in both the US and the UK thatsensationalist reporting of such activity in the press creates a publicperception that the crime problem, as serious as it is, is much worse thanis the reality of the situation. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.