Christopher J. Ferguson: Adolescents, Crime, and the Media: A Critical Analysis

Excerpt

Christopher Ferguson’s book Children, Crime, and the Media: A Critical Analysis describes how the news media often speculates about a relationship between juvenile violence and violent video games, movies, and other forms of media. Ferguson suggests that that speculation is sometimes without merit and then seeks to determine what link, if any, there is between youth crime and various forms of media. Further, Ferguson discusses how news media reports may distort their audience’s beliefs regarding juvenile crime and crime in general. Part I of Ferguson’s book focusses the accuracy of media’s portrayal of adolescents and crime. Part II takes a critical look at empirical studies on the relationship between specific forms of media and youth crime. At the end of the book, Ferguson asks, if a link exists between violent media and youth violence, how should the U.S. government balance First Amendment rights with the societal need to curb youth violence. Throughout the book, Ferguson takes on the challenging task of avoiding bias that is often associated with this highly politicized and emotional issue and identifying any actual links between youth crime and the media—as opposed to perceived or desired links. …