Comunicação e Sociedade, ol. 42, 2022, pp. 7–24
h ps://doi.o g/10.17231/comsoc.42(2022).4467
C ime, Jus ice and Media: Deba ing (Mis)
ep esen a ions and Renewed Challenges
C ime, Jus iça e Média: Deba es Sob e Rep esen ações
Mediá icas e Desa ios A uais
Síl ia Gomes
C iminology and C iminal Jus ice Depa men , School o Social Sciences, No ingham T en Uni-
e si y, No ingham, Uni ed Kingdom/Cen o In e disciplina de Ciências Sociais, Faculda-
de de Ciências Sociais e Humanas, Uni e sidade No a de Lisboa, Lisbon, Po ugal
Thais Sa dá
C iminology and C iminal Jus ice Depa men , School o Social Sciences, No -
ingham T en Uni e si y, No ingham, Uni ed Kingdom
Ra aela G anja
Cen o de Es udos de Comunicação e Sociedade, Ins i u o de Ciências Sociais, Uni e sidade do Minho, B aga, Po ugal
1. In oduc ion
Unde s anding he e e -complex ela ionship be ween he media, socie y and c ime
equi es explo ing se e al luid discussions ha connec hese domains. How does he
media a ec he way people hink abou social issues such as c iminali y and jus ice?
Wha is he impac o media co e age o c ime on how socie y esponds o i ? Do he
media ha e a cen al ole in o ming public opinion, does public opinion in luence wha
media epo , and/o a e he e mul iple and complex in luences wi hin his spec um?
Wha a e he challenges imposed by he se e al o ms o media in he scope o mass
communica ion ega ding c ime and iolence? These and o he que ies a e pe sis en
among media schola s esea ching his ield o s udy. Howe e , s udies ha e shown no
clea -cu answe s o hese ques ions as hey show complex in e sec ions be ween hem
and migh change signi ican ly acco ding o geopoli ical issues, a ec ed social g oups
and ypes o media in ol ed.
A obus ield o li e a u e on he ela ions be ween media, c ime, and jus ice has
shown ha media play a ele an and decisi e ole in he o e all pe cep ion o c ime
and jus ice (see, o example, G ee , 2013). In ac , con empo a y iews o c ime a e di-
ec ly connec ed o how media ep esen aspec s o he c iminal jus ice sys em, includ-
ing iolen c imes, police ac i i y, c iminal in es iga ions, high-p o ile ials, p ison li e
and o he s. News media, social media, ic ional ep esen a ions o c ime and jus ice,
and he ela i ely new bu e e escen ield o “ ue c ime” depic ions (in he o m o
podcas s, mo ies, and books) make opposi ions be ween collec i e secu i y and human
igh s mo e isible. These media pla o ms also ei y discou ses ha ely on no ions o
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C ime, Jus ice and Media: Deba ing (Mis) ep esen a ions and Renewed Challenges . Síl ia Gomes, Thais Sa dá & Ra aela G anja
“us” and “o he s”. Howe e , u he deba e is essen ial o e idence he p o ound social
inequali ies ha p omo e such social clea ages.
Aside om he media’s ole in ep esen ing c ime and jus ice, we ha e ecen ly wi -
nessed how i can also be used as a pla o m o p omo ing and ac ing upon iolence and
c iminali y. Ou daily li es ha e become inc easingly elian on he digi al wo ld, hanks
o ad ances in elecommunica ions, he apid dissemina ion o mobile in o ma ion, and
he popula i y o social media pla o ms such as Facebook, Ins ag am, Snapcha , Twi e
(Thuk al & Kainya, 2022) and, mo e ecen ly, TikTok. Such a pe asi e use o social me-
dia has, consequen ly, changed he way we unde s and and expe ience ic imisa ion and
c ime. Examples o his ela e o online gende iolence (A ouz, 2021; Backe e al., 2018;
Bound Albe i, 2021) o online ha e c ime and ha e speech (Cas año-Pulga ín e al., 2021;
Mülle & Schwa z, 2020; Williams e al., 2020), as well as phishing, iden i y he , online
job aud, cybe bullying, cybe s alking, and so much mo e (Thuk al & Kainya, 2022).
In his hema ic issue o Comunicação e Sociedade, we in i ed social sciences e-
sea che s o e lec upon he a ious o ms o in e connec ion and disconnec ion be-
ween c ime, jus ice and media. We p opose o unde s and how he media play an es-
sen ial heu is ic ins umen o unde s anding c ime and jus ice, as i bo h ( e)p esen s
and impac s ou unde s anding o c iminal e en s and can be a pla o m o iolen and
c iminal ac i i y.
This in oduc o y a icle p o ides a e lec ion on he p essing issues a ound he
links be ween media, c ime and jus ice. I s a s wi h a deba e a ound media ep esen a-
ions o c ime and jus ice, mo es o discuss he impac o media on he public pe cep-
ion o c ime and jus ice, and hen unde lines how new media can be used o uel c ime
and iolence. Finally, he s uc u e o his hema ic issue is p o ided, b ie ly desc ibing
and con ex ualising he 10 a icles ha comp ise i .
2. Media Rep esen a ions o C ime and Jus ice
Media ep esen a ions (a co e ield in he b oad ield o media s udies) conce n
how a ious media pla o ms po ay pa icula g oups, communi ies, expe iences, ide-
as, o opics om a pa icula ideological o alue pe spec i e. These ep esen a ions
do no necessa ily e lec o mi o “ eali y” bu ( e)p esen he eali y, c ea ing a new
eali y. Lippmann (1922) coined his as he pseudo-en i onmen , co esponding o he
s e eo ypical eali y p esen ed by he media, which is no he eali y in i sel , bu he eal-
i y con eyed o he audience and he eali y ha he audience pe cei ed as being “ eal”.
In his ega d, media heo is s ha e long a gued abou how ce ain social g oups and
e en s a e ep esen ed in he media (see some examples in Jewkes, 2004).
Because his pseudo-en i onmen becomes he “ eali y”, i is essen ial o unde -
s and how much o his ac ually impac s and in luences ou unde s anding o he wo ld.
Fo many, he media a e he main (o only) sou ce o access o ce ain ac s, e en s, s o-
ies, epo s, es imonies o images; and i is also in his way ha such indi iduals o m
opinions, ein o ce belie s, build images, and gi e meaning o a complex and changing
social eali y (Ca alho, 2007; Gomes, 2015; Penedo, 2003). Al hough he way he public
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ecei es in o ma ion is no comple ely unc i ical and passi e (Guiben i , 2002; Sacco,
1995), mos o wha people pe cei e abou a ce ain eali y is p o ided by he media, es-
pecially in he case o eali ies dis an om hei daily li es (Lippmann, 1922). Media may
no say how people should hink abou a ce ain opic o e en , bu hey a e de ini ely
decisi e in de ining he opics, and e en s he public should conside h ough he way
in o ma ion is highligh ed and ep esen ed (Machado & San os, 2009b).
As such, media assume key impo ance in socie ies, and media ep esen a ions
a e wo hy o in-dep h in es iga ion as we canno igno e how ce ain social issues a e
con eyed (Gomes, 2015; G ee , 2013). The media a e a powe ul agen o social con ol
(Pina, 2009) and social cons uc ion o eali y (Be ge & Luckmann, 1966/2004). The
media, he e o e, cons i u e a powe ul ideological appa a us, as i s discou ses a e based
on assump ions wi h a s ong ideological cha ac e . On he one hand, media con ibu e
o social con ol and ep oduc ion and, on he o he hand, ope a e as cul u al commodi-
ies, en e aining people, keeping hem poli ically and socially in o med and e lec ing
changes in alues and iden i ies (Mendes, 2004, p. 153).
In his ega d, i is pa amoun o unde s and how media a e key p oduce s and
pu eyo s o “knowledge” abou c ime, diso de and con ol (G ee , 2013). Ou unde -
s anding o c ime — how much c ime is ou he e, wha ypes o c ime a e mos p e a-
len , who is mos a isk, who a e he o ende s and wha a e he bes esponses — de-
i es mos ly om sou ces o he han pe sonal expe ience. Mos people only expe ience
c iminali y h ough he news. Tha is, mos indi iduals a e subjec ed o a ep esen a ion
o he c ime ins ead o acing c iminali y i sel (ei he as o ende s and/o as ic ims).
Consequen ly, he media’s co e age o a ce ain ype o c ime is di ec ly ela ed o ea o
such c ime (Chadee & Di on, 2005). Mo eo e , how he media ep esen c ime no only
shapes communi y iden i y bu also encou ages pe sonal and sha ed senses o ea and
secu i y (Banks, 2005).
News abou c ime and jus ice and en e ainmen cen ing on i a e qui e wide-
sp ead (Robinson, 2018). C ime news is one o he mos popula and cons an in he
o al amoun o news b oadcas by he media (Machado & San os, 2008; Penedo, 2003;
Robinson, 2018). Mo eo e , c ime has become he wides and mos compe i i e a ea
o jou nalism (Pina, 2009). Besides his endency o he exagge a ed co e age o c ime
news by he media in gene al, i is ele an o conside how he media epo he s o ies
o alleged c iminals and hei ic ims and he eelings hey consequen ly p o oke in he
audience, eeding people’s s e eo ypes and u ban my hs abou c ime (McCombs, 2002).
Tha is why, o he many hemes ha can be ound in he media, ha o c ime and jus-
ice is e e ed o as being he mos e ealing o wha he ideology o a gi en socie y is,
in ol ing no ions o good and e il, mo ali y, social achie emen and social s uc u e
(Su e e, 1998, pp. 37–38). Wacquan (2000) also adds ha he media unc ion like he
p ison o he ghe o since hey a e ins i u ions in cha ge o s igma ising ce ain g oups
o neu alise he ma e ial and/o symbolic h ea hey ep esen o may ep esen o he
su ounding socie y.
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Howe e , why is “c ime” so popula in he media? E icson e al. (2010) a gue ha
he media’s appe i e o c ime s ems om a mo e gene al conce n wi h he ques ion o
o de , in which o de is concei ed in e ms o mo ali y, in a p ocedu al way and as a social
hie a chy (see also Spa ks, 2001). This o de is embedded in eali y by he pa icula in e -
es s o ce ain dominan g oups and is masked in he name o objec i i y, neu ali y and
balance ha he media aim o achie e (E icson e al., 2010, p. 98). Su e e (1998) summa-
ises he ollowing explana ions ad anced by di e en au ho s o he popula i y o c ime
news: (a) c ime news is desc ibed as se ing a posi i e social unc ion by de ining he
limi ing accep able social beha iou , de e ing o ende s, cau ioning po en ial ic ims, and
p o iding c ime su eillance; (b) c ime is an impo an social issue, and he e o e c ime
news is made o e lec he wo ld we li e in; and, las ly (c) c ime news inc ease ci cula ion
and has en e ainmen alue o companies ha own he media. Each o hese easons
explains why c ime news is so popula , he ypes o c ime ha a e mos a ou able o hem
and he easons o hei co e age (Su e e, 1998).
Howe e , as we al eady alluded o in his in oduc ion, he p oblem wi h c ime in he
media is no only how c ime is po ayed bu also he equency in which i is epo ed, ex-
agge a ing he impo ance o c ime in people’s li es. Media analysis s udies e idence ha
he news shows a map o c iminal e en s ha di e s, in many ways, om ha p o ided
by o icial c ime s a is ics (Gomes, 2013; Ka z, 1987; Robinson, 2018; Sacco, 1995). Indeed,
se e al s udies show ha , e en when s a is ics indica e ha mos c imes commi ed a e
non- iolen , he media show us exac ly he opposi e (Sacco, 1995). The media o e whelm-
ingly ocus on iolen and sexual c imes, which ha e g ea e news alue (G ee , 2013), and
on c imes commi ed by s ange s a he han by acquain ances o amily membe s (cases
o domes ic iolence a e, o example, less o en epo ed han s ee c imes; Pina, 2009).
By doing so, media ep esen a ions exagge a e bo h he le els o se ious in e pe sonal
c ime in socie y and he isk o becoming a c ime ic im (G ee , 2013). Also, media epo s
o c iminal ac s a e usually limi ed o he desc ip ion o he e en and immedia e conse-
quences, no ocusing on c i ical pe spec i es o wide deba es a ound causes, p e en ion,
o policy (Ca alho, 2007; G ee , 2012, 2013). C iminal e en s a e simply ep esen ed as
a esul o abe an indi idual de ia ions (Bo ne , 1984; Haney & Manzola i, 1981; Hans
& Dee, 2010), p ac ised by c azy o e il people (Pina, 2009) wi h a as se o choices
(Su e e, 1998). In his sense, o ende s a e o en seen as i hey we e no pa o he wo ld
in which ules, alues and conside a ions o jus ice apply and, no less commonly, a e as-
socia ed wi h he mo e ulne able social classes (Machado & San os, 2009a) and acial
and e hnical mino i ised g oups (Gomes, 2013, 2015). In sum, o ende s om he mos
disad an aged social g oups a e po ayed as he culp i s o he exis ence o iolence in
he s ee s (Haywa d & Ya , 2006; Ramos & No o, 2008).
Conside ing he d ama ic and emo ional po en ial o c iminal s o ies, he media ex-
plo e emo ionally shocking scena ios, elec he oes, and punish illains, always wi h an
exempla y pe spec i e o es o ing o de , u h and jus ice (Fe in-Cunha, 2003, pp. 2–3),
being, hus, ideologically imbued. This eplacemen o he o de is again in line wi h he
idea o E icson e al. (2010) ha c ime news would ha e a posi i e social unc ion o social
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C ime, Jus ice and Media: Deba ing (Mis) ep esen a ions and Renewed Challenges . Síl ia Gomes, Thais Sa dá & Ra aela G anja
con ol. The da kes side o human na u e is sc u inised, s imula ing he mos oyeu -
is ic eyes (Peelo, 2006) and exace ba ing eelings o epulsion owa ds c iminal ac s,
ange owa ds injus ice and o ende s and he shame, emo se o guil o o ende s
(Ka s ed , 2010).
3. Media E ec s on Public Pe cep ion o C ime and Jus ice
Media ep esen a ions o c ime ha e been a pe ennial cause o conce n (Reine ,
2007). I is undeniable ha he media ep esen a ions o c ime end up in luencing
policy and p ac ice ela ed o c ime con ol in Wes e n socie ies. Tha is ala ming be-
cause co e age o c iminological issues by he media is in e spe sed wi h mo al pan-
ics (see Al heide, 2009; Cohen, 2011; Cy , 2003; Ga land, 2008; Goode & Ben-Yehuda,
1994; Hall e al., 1978; Hun , 1997), a ea -p oducing p ocess o s ong disapp o al o
mo al h ea s (Ga land, 2008) ha exempli ies a igh -wing inclina ion o he media
(Cohen, 2011). In ac , mo al panics can be ac ually conside ed mo e dange ous han
he c ime i sel , as i induces au ho i ies’ ac ions o c ime con ol in he di ec ion o
social ea s and anxie ies ins ead o in he di ec ion o wha s a is ics p o e o occu
(Hickman, 1982).
The issue o he media’s e ec s on he public pe cep ion o c ime has gi en ise
o esea ch on he ela ionship be ween le els o exposu e o media con en and he
sensa ionalis ea men o ce ain c imes and opinions and public a i udes owa ds
c iminal eali y (Ca alho, 2007; Fe in-Cunha e al., 2007; Guiben i , 2002; McCombs,
2002; Penedo, 2003; Pina, 2009; San os, 2009; Webs e , 2001). Media a e no solely
esponsible o inducing ea o c ime since he isk o ic imisa ion, p e ious expe i-
ence as a ic im, en i onmen al condi ions, e hnici y, and p e ious con ac s wi h he
police and he c iminal jus ice sys em a e also among he many ac o s ha in e ac
h ough complex p ocesses ha in luence public anxie y abou c ime (Rego, 2015).
None heless, media play an impo an ole in c ea ing a “cul u al clima e” in which
ce ain ypes o c iminal beha iou a e po ayed mo e o en, and wi h g ea e in en-
si y, han o he s (Jewkes, 2004, p. 167). The same can be concluded ega ding ce ain
g oups o people, usually poo , o eign and e hnic g oups, who a e po ayed as de i-
an s, o ende s o illains o he s o ies na a ed in he news (Cádima & Figuei edo,
2003; Ca alho, 2007; Fe in-Cunha e al., 2008; Gomes, 2015; Mills e al., in p ess;
San os, 2008). The media a e hus esponsible o manipula ing and eeding public
ea s abou some c imes and ce ain social g oups (Jewkes, 2004).
As such, c ime and jus ice a e a he same e y appealing ma e s o he media
and a p ojec i e ma e o ensions and social imbalances (Penedo, 2003). Su e e
(1998) iden i ies i e di e en ways he media in luence he collec i e pe cep ion o
c ime and ea o c ime — (a) subs i u ion: people who do no ha e al e na i e sou ces
o knowledge o eplace ea -p omo ing media in o ma ion; (b) esonance: people wi h
a conc e e expe ience o ic imisa ion who co obo a e o come ac oss he in o ma-
ion con eyed by he media; (c) ulne abili y: people less able o p e en ic imisa ion
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a e mo e easily igh ened by in o ma ion om he media; (d) a ini y: people wi h demo-
g aphic simila i ies o c ime ic ims also become mo e ea ul and mo e suscep ible o be-
ing in luenced by he media; and (e) maximum e ec : people who al eady eel high le els o
ea a e, because o ha , beyond he each o he media’s in luence (Chi icos e al., 1997).
The e o e, he media can be seen as a cause and a way o igh c ime (B own, 2003;
Su e e, 1998). This pa adox s ems om how he media a e, a he same ime, esponsi-
ble o epo ing c ime and o elling us how i can be ough . No only do we lea n abou
c ime and jus ice h ough he media, we lea n o li e wi h i h ough he same sou ce
(Su e e, 1998). The media sell he ea o c ime while lamen ing i (B own, 2003, p. 26)
and demanding i o be ough . The idea o a “socially cons uc ed eali y” abou c ime, in
which he p ocesses o in o ma ion lows c ea e ou pe cep ion and unde s anding o he
wo ld we li e in, is a cen al and p o oundly impo an aspec o knowing whe e he u h
abou c ime ends and he u h abou he media begins (Su e e, 1998).
4. New Media As a Pla o m o Violence and C ime
In he las decades, he web has ans o med he ules o socialisa ion, de ying no-
ions o space and ime and se ing an o e -s imula ed imagina ion abou i sel as a new
medium (Malb eil, 2007). This added complexi ies and new challenges o e e yday li e,
including he way c ime and jus ice e en s happen and a e po ayed. In ac , nowadays, i
is common ha c ime and jus ice e en s a e webcas as hey happen, high-p o ile “celeb-
i y” ials a e wee ed li e, and io s and e olu ions a e o ches a ed h ough social media
(G ee , 2013). Fu he mo e, he web can be used as a pla o m o c iminal beha iou , and
a means o p e en and igh c ime. To unde s and how new media enable cybe c ime and
he social implica ions o c ime and iolence media ed by echnology, we mus i s place
new media ep esen a ion in he common imagina ion.
The web has been eeding people’s an asy and imagina ion since i s ea lies p edic-
ions: when he no elis Jules Ve ne alked o a ne wo k o send documen s h ough signs
in he 1860s; when he documen alis Paul O le imagined a elepic u e book a he end
o he 19 h cen u y; when he poe Paul Vale y s a ed a discussion abou ubiqui y almos
a cen u y ago. O e all, iews o he web ha e been posi i e, and cybe space has been de-
sc ibed h ough op imis ic me apho s, such as “digi al lib a y”, “in o ma ion highway”,
“ i ual communi y”, “digi al ecology”, and “na a i e s eam” (Mosco, 2004). While he e
we e ce ainly nega i e uses o he web om i s e y i s days o widesp ead use — o
example, discussions abou spam in he middle 1990s (B un on, 2013) — only ecen ly
ha e nega i e and posi i e pe spec i es become mo e e enly balanced. Pa o he p ocess
in which new media’s posi i e meaning is cons uc ed h ough media ep esen a ion is
esponsible o nu u ing people’s minds and b inging oge he eal and an as ical mean-
ings (O gad, 2012).
Con empo a y deba es abou he impac o he web inally include eme ging nega-
i e issues, ocusing especially on online social ne wo ks and hei uses. Fo ins ance, de
V ies and Schinkel (2019) discuss he imagina y su eillance su ounding social media
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applying acial ecogni ion echnologies, he eby allowing he ise in “algo i hmic anxi-
e y”. McG ego (2019) a gues ha jou nalis s cu en ly co-op social media ac i i y in
hei poli ical epo ing o e lec and ep esen public opinion, which a ibu es o com-
panies such as Twi e and Facebook a legi imised ole in c ea ing a gene al idea o public
opinion. Acco ding o Oz e al. (2018), hese pla o ms a e cons an ly seen as enabling
unci il and impoli e beha iou s, especially in in e ac ions wi h s ange s. In addi ion,
hese pla o ms migh also be used o enac gende iolence (A ouz, 2021; Backe e al.,
2018; Bound Albe i, 2021), ha e c ime and ha e speech (Cas año-Pulga ín e al., 2021;
Mülle & Schwa z, 2020; Williams e al., 2020), cybe bullying, cybe s alking, economic
aud, and se e al o he ypes o c imes (Thuk al & Kainya, 2022). Recen esea ch also
discusses he use o Twi e o he dis ibu ion o misin o ma ion, commonly labelled
“ ake news”, now a eali y inse ed in o poli ical discussions and imposing a challenge o
democ acies (B umme e e al., 2018; Va go e al., 2018). The e is also esea ch showing
he nega i e social and psychological impac s o social media, especially amongs he
you h ( an Dijck, 2013); he lack o p o ec ion o use s’ p i acy by echnology co po a-
ions such as Google, Facebook and Amazon (S iphas, 2015); abuses pe pe a ed by
go e nmen s in libe al egimes (G eenwald, 2014); and indi idual, co po a e and go -
e nmen al ulne abili y o cybe -a acks (Landau, 2017).
Posi i e ep esen a ions o new media s ill ocus on how hey can be used o p o-
ec people’s igh o p i a e communica ion and access o in o ma ion (Flo idi, 2014;
Hoang & Pish a, 2014; Ja dine, 2018; McLeod, 2011; Sha on & John, 2018; Wu & A kin,
2018). Howe e , new and g owing o ms o c ime and iolence h ough new media ex-
empli y o which ex en echnological de elopmen adds sophis ica ion o cybe c ime,
p omo ing mo e scep ical iews and ep esen a ions o he web (La sson e al., 2012;
Ma in, 2014; Mo selli e al., 2017; an Ha de eld e al., 2017). In e es ingly, Cu is and
Oxbu gh (2022) a gue ha ic ims o online c imes and cybe c iminals ely on a sense o
secu i y gi en by bo h he use o echnology and he dis ance be ween hemsel es: while
ic ims eel alsely p o ec ed by hese hings, o ende s a e ac ually enabled by hem,
a oiding any accoun abili y. As men ioned by Dupon and Hol (2022), he e is a clea
ela ionship be ween he inc ease in he use o new echnologies in e e yday li es and i s
app op ia ion o c iminal and an i-social ac i i ies, which makes i “ i al o inc ease ou
unde s anding o he na u e o o ende beha iou , co ela es o ic imisa ion, and he
u ili y o policies o de e c ime” (p. 860). Tha said, ic imisa ion is a opic ha equi es
special a en ion and esea ch, conside ing ha i is undeniable ha c iminals ha e ex-
plo ed he web. Vic ims mus be empowe ed o epo a c ime, which will only happen i
cases a e deal wi h se iously, p e en ing u he ic imisa ion and men al heal h issues;
conside ing ha in a pos -pandemic wo ld, mos people ha e o spend ime online, his
is no op ional anymo e (Bu on e al., 2022).
Comunicação e Sociedade, ol. 42, 2022
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C ime, Jus ice and Media: Deba ing (Mis) ep esen a ions and Renewed Challenges . Síl ia Gomes, Thais Sa dá & Ra aela G anja
5. In oducing This Thema ic Issue
As we a gued so a , links be ween c ime, jus ice and media a e deep and complex,
as media and social media ( e)p esen , (mis) ep esen and impac ou unde s anding o
c ime and jus ice bu can also be used as a pla o m o iolen and c iminal ac s. This
special issue add esses his complexi y by comp ising esea ch abou adi ional mass
media such as newspape s and ele ision (Luhmann, 1996), as well as new media ha is
no based on he b oadcas ing logic (Scola i, 2009), which Mano ich (2002) equa es o
digi al media, o ins ance, social media.
Conside ing he e o s o decolonisa ion in academia and he p ominen global
ea u e o he media, his special issue b ings oge he esea ch abou mul iple coun-
ies, con ex s and eali ies. As a gued by Laidle e al. (2017), esea ch abou he c ime-
media nexus has o include he nuances in he Global No h and Global Sou h, aking
in o conside a ion no only poli ical and social si ua ions bu also geopoli ics and eco-
nomic aspec s.
This hema ic issue consis s o 10 esea ch pape s, dis ibu ed in h ee main hemes:
media ep esen a ions o c ime and jus ice, online c ime and iolence, and echnology.
The i s se o a icles explo es media ep esen a ions o ce ain iolen and c iminal
e en s in news and en e ainmen media. The i s a icle, w i en by Célia Belim and
A u Simões, explo es wo Po uguese newspape s’ agenda-se ing and aming when
ep esen ing he Hong Kong p o es s. These p o es s o igina ed in Ma ch 2019 a e he
Hong Kong go e nmen p oposed an ex adi ion bill, which led o ci izens’ ea ha hey
could become subjec o a di e en legal sys em, unde mining he egion’s au onomy
and he ci izens’ igh s. Repo s o a acks on p o es e s, a es s o ac i is s and com-
munica ions p oblems du ing p o es s conce ned Uni ed Na ions human igh s expe s.
Rega dless o he di e ences be ween media ou le s, his a icle p o ides an in e es ing
deba e on he impo ance o co e ing p o es s and social mo emen s. A e all, as s a ed
by he au ho s, “a p o es wi hou media co e age is a non-e en (Gamson & Wol s eld,
1993), assuming he logic ha i exis s i he p o es is ep esen ed in he media” (Belim
& Simões, p. 44). Mo e han ha , he way he media co e hese e en s migh s eng hen
o comp omise he cause, and he impac o media ep esen a ions is discussed.
Then, Gilma José dos San os discusses how he online media ha e been ep e-
sen ing co po a e manslaugh e by ocusing on wo case s udies: Sama co’s and Vale’s
c iminal agedies in B azil. Among o he indings, he au ho e idenced ha online
news is eluc an o epo he cases as co po a e manslaugh e , aming he episodes
as acciden s o agedies. Al hough he al e na i e-independen media appea ed o be
mo e inclined o ame i as a homicide, no enough esou ces we e a ailable o p oduce
hei own con en . As such, i was obse ed ha he epo ing app oach neu alised
and e-signi ied he c imes, a ou ing he companies. This a icle aises ele an deba es
a ound wha oice is gi en o he ic ims in such c iminal agedies, how he ansg es-
so s do no i in he media o socie y’s ep esen a ion o he c iminal and how his ends
up impac ing he way media con ey co po a e c ime.
Comunicação e Sociedade, ol. 42, 2022
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C ime, Jus ice and Media: Deba ing (Mis) ep esen a ions and Renewed Challenges . Síl ia Gomes, Thais Sa dá & Ra aela G anja
Con inuing wi h he ocus on news a icles, Es e Ama al de Paula Minga explo es
he social ep esen a ions a ound he Uni e sal Chu ch o he Kingdom o God in wo
in luen ial Po uguese newspape s. This Chu ch was he subjec o many news epo s
du ing he 1990s due o accusa ions o se ious c imes such as cha la anism, connec-
ions o d ug a icking and child abduc ion. Much o he news linked he Chu ch wi h
s e eo ypes abou B azil and B azilians and e e enced B azilian soap ope as, which we e
qui e popula in he coun y a ha ime. Via c i ical discou se analysis and aming
analysis, he au ho analysed i hese same ideas pe sis ed h ough ime. The au ho con-
cludes ha he nega i e image o he Chu ch iden i ied in he 1990s emained, al hough
he Chu ch’s media p esence has since educed. Al hough he cu en p esence o he
Chu ch in he media is less p onounced, ecen cases such as he 2017 O Seg edo dos
Deuses (The Sec e o Gods) sugges ha he emphasis on melod ama in co e age o he
Chu ch emains and may come once again, o be associa ed wi h con ex s o xenophobia
and eligious in ole ance. This analysis o e ime allows us o discuss he e en ual im-
pac media ha e on public opinion h ough ime.
The ollowing a icle ocuses on he discou se o pho og aphs ins ead o he com-
mon analysis o he jou nalis ic ex . Ângela C is ina Salguei o Ma ques, Angie Biondi
and Ana Paula da Rosa p o ide an analysis o a se o jou nalis ic pho og aphs abou
wo majo police ope a ions in Rio de Janei o, B azil, one o hem a Complexo da Ma é
in 2014 and he o he one a Jaca ezinho in 2021, bo h conside ed massac es as ci il-
ians ha e los hei li es. Analysing hose pho og aphs and compa ing he posi ion and
a i ude o police o ice s and local people, amongs o he nuances, he au ho s en ol in
a philosophical deba e a ound isibili y condi ions and jou nalis ic con ex . Acco ding
o he au ho s, he p esence o o dina y people in hose images, while doing hei daily
cho es, ges u ing, glancing and simply eac ing o he ho o o he si ua ion, in e e e
wi h he images’ enuncia i e cha ac e . The a icle hen akes a s ep u he o discuss
hese appea ances’ poli ical and aes he ic powe , as hey can highligh he nuances be-
ween he isible and he eadable.
While he p e ious a icles ocus on media ep esen a ions h ough newspape a -
icles ( ex o image), he las wo a icles wi hin he media ep esen a ions sec ion o
he special issue ocus on media ep esen a ions o en e ainmen , pa icula ly ele i-
sion se ies. Melina Meima idis and Rod igo Quinan explo e he no malisa ion o b u al-
i y and police au ho i y in Ame ican ele ision se ies. The au ho s a gue, o ins ance,
how ele ision se ies ein o ce he police ins i u ion’s au ho i y ea ing i s ac ions as
unques ionable, o how hey no malise police b u ali y, wi h na a i es o en jus i ying
iolen ac s as an e icien in es iga i e ool. By doing so, his a icle c ea es a g ea pla -
o m o discuss he signi ican ole ha ele ision ic ion accomplishes in media ing and
cons uc ing meaning abou he police. I also helps ques ion hese ep esen a ions in
he ace o con lic ing e en s such as he dea h o Geo ge Floyd, a Black man who was
mu de ed by a Whi e police o ice who knel o e his neck, su oca ing him, and he
subsequen deba e a ound he de und he police mo emen .
Comunicação e Sociedade, ol. 42, 2022
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C ime, Jus ice and Media: Deba ing (Mis) ep esen a ions and Renewed Challenges . Síl ia Gomes, Thais Sa dá & Ra aela G anja
Sha on, T., & John, N. A. (2018). Unpacking ( he) sec e : Anonymous social media and he
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o g/10.1177/1461444818768547
Spa ks, R. (2001). The media, populism, public opinion and c ime. C iminal Jus ice Ma e s, 43, 6–7. h ps://
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S iphas, T. (2015). Algo i hmic cul u e. Eu opean Jou nal o Cul u al S udies, 18(4–5), 395–412. h ps://doi.
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Biog aphical No es
Síl ia Gomes is cu en ly a lec u e in c iminology a No ingham T en Uni e si y
(Uni ed Kingdom). She holds a PhD in sociology (2013) wi h a hesis ocusing on c ime,
e hnici ies, and social inequali ies. She is a esea che a he In e disciplina y Cen e
o Social Sciences and a he C i ical C iminology and Social Jus ice Resea ch G oup a
No ingham T en Uni e si y (Uni ed Kingdom). She is co-coo dina ing he Thema ic
Sec ion on Sociology o Law and Jus ice o he Po uguese Sociological Associa ion.
Au ho o se e al books, book chap e s, and pape s in scien i ic jou nals, he main a eas
o esea ch a e ocused on c ime and media, p ison s udies, c ime and e hnici y, social
inequali ies, in e sec ional app oaches, and mo e ecen ly on een y, ecidi ism, and
c iminal desis ance. He ecen books a e Female C ime and Delinquency in Po ugal:
Comunicação e Sociedade, ol. 42, 2022
23
C ime, Jus ice and Media: Deba ing (Mis) ep esen a ions and Renewed Challenges . Síl ia Gomes, Thais Sa dá & Ra aela G anja
In and Ou o he C iminal Jus ice Sys em (Palg a e, 2018), P isons, S a e and Violence
(Sp inge , 2019), Inca ce a ion and Gene a ion, Volumes 1 and 2 (Palg a e, 2021), and
Gende , P ison and Reen y Expe iences: A Ma e o Time (Rou ledge, 2023 o hcoming).
ORCID: h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0001-5503-0037
Email: [email p o ec ed]
Add ess: Depa men o C iminology and C iminal Jus ice (CCJ), No ingham T en
Uni e si y, 50 Shakespea e S ee , No ingham. NG1 4FQ
Thaís Sa dá is a lec u e in c iminology a No ingham T en Uni e si y (Uni ed
Kingdom) ocused on esea ching and eaching cybe c ime. Be o e ha , she was a
pos -doc o al esea ch associa e a he TECHNGI P ojec a he School o Business and
Economics o Loughbo ough Uni e si y. She also holds a PhD in communica ion and
media s udies (Loughbo ough Uni e si y), a mas e s’ deg ee in in o ma ion, social
ne wo ks and echnology (Fede al Uni e si y o Rio G ande do Sul, B azil), a bachelo
deg ee in social communica ion and jou nalism (Fede al Uni e si y o Rio G ande do
Sul, B azil), a pos -g adua e deg ee in c iminology (Pon i ical Ca holic Uni e si y o Rio
G ande do Sul, B azil), and a mas e business adminis a ion in people managemen
(Fundação Ge ulio Va gas, B azil). Mo eo e , she has a backg ound wo king as a p o es-
sional jou nalis (newspape and online news) and wi h ad e ising (social media, busi-
ness in elligence and public ela ions).
ORCID: h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0001-8559-6568
Email: [email p o ec ed]
Add ess: Depa men o C iminology and C iminal Jus ice (CCJ), No ingham T en
Uni e si y, 50 Shakespea e S ee , No ingham. NG1 4FQ
Ra aela G anja holds a PhD in sociology (2015) by Ins i u e o Social Sciences,
Uni e si y o Minho. He esea ch explo es opics o echnological su eillance o c imi-
nalized popula ions, he in e connec ions be ween amily, gene ics and c ime, and econ-
igu a ions o amily ela ionships inside and ou side he p ison. She was awa ded a g an
om “scien i ic employmen s imulus” (second edi ion) p omo ed by he Po uguese
Founda ion o Science and Technology (FCT - Fundação pa a a Ciência e Tecnologia),
CEECIND/ 00984/2018. Since Oc obe 2021, she is de eloping he esea ch p ojec
“Be ween con ol and epai : The econ igu a ion o gene ic su eillance a he in e sec-
ion o c iminal in es iga ion and ci il iden i ica ion” a he Communica ion and Socie y
Resea ch Cen e, Uni e si y o Minho, Po ugal. Publica ions include he books Gene ic
Su eillance and C ime Con ol: Social, Cul u al and Poli ical Pe spec i es (Rou ledge, 2021),
Fo ensic Gene ics in he Go e nance o C ime (Palg a e, 2020) and Modes o Bio-Bo de ing:
The Hidden (Dis)in eg a ion o Eu ope (Palg a e, 2020).
ORCID: h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0003-4430-9061
Comunicação e Sociedade, ol. 42, 2022
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C ime, Jus ice and Media: Deba ing (Mis) ep esen a ions and Renewed Challenges . Síl ia Gomes, Thais Sa dá & Ra aela G anja
Email: [email p o ec ed]
Add ess: Cen o de Es udos de Comunicação e Sociedade, Ins i u o de Ciências
Sociais, Uni e sidade do Minho, Campus de Gual a , 4710-057 B aga, Po ugal
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