The Reporting Trajectories of Top Homicide Cases in the Media: A Case Study of The Times

In: The Howard journal of criminal justice, Band 43, Heft 1, S. 1-14

Abstract

Abstract: This study describes the reporting trajectories of the 13 cases that received the most coverage in a leading British newspaper, The Times, over a period of 23 years (1977 to 1999 inclusive). We have classified these as 'mega‐cases'. This approach moves beyond merely measuring the coverage of cases to charting how cases can escalate to become 'moral panics', move into a shared 'general knowledge' of killing or, in some cases, come to occupy iconic status. Some 'mega' cases fade from consciousness when viewed over a period of time. In 'mega‐cases' there is an unexpected 'primary incident' that makes the case newsworthy in the first instance. Then the 'formal process' helps to manage a homicide within accepted and acceptable boundaries. In broad terms, the media trajectories of these 'mega‐cases' following the 'primary incident' are predictable. However, further unexpected 'incidents' unrelated to 'process'– suicides, attacks by other prisoners, escapes – challenge the predictability of these 'mega‐cases'. The trajectories of homicide cases that begin to link in with wider societal agendas are the most difficult to predict.