Media and Trust in Police- Informative Podcast

Specific Purpose: To make aware the effects media has on the trust of the community on the
police
Central Idea: The impacts of media on the trust of the community towards the police.
Introduction
I. (Attention Getter) Have you noticed the increased amount of media coverage towards
police brutality within the last couple years? How much positivity have we seen in the
media about police during that time?
II. (Audience Adaptation) How many of you are aware of the influence that the media
has on the police presence?
III. (Purpose) For the people who want to understand how police are portrayed by media
and how trust is affected, this podcast could bring a new perspective.
IV. (Preview) My name is Kaitlin Perrin and I am taking Communications 102 which
teaches students like me how media affects us more than we could ever imagine
without learning it though educational matters.
A. Background on Police and Media: Media vs. Police
B. Police and Public Relations
C. Trust
D. Solution
Transition: Lets get some background about the trust with police and the implication of media.
Body:
V. Background on Police and Media: Media vs. Police
Police have always been somewhat targeted by media efforts. Ive seen photos around
the internet from the 1930s, and so on of police and they give different impressions.
There are a couple ways that the police are portrayed through the media.
A. There are several different types of media also known as mediums such as the
internet, phones, TVs, books, and newspapers (Baran, 2014, p. 6).
B. Not only do we have to consider how many sources of media we have, media
literacy matters too. We have to understand mass communication, understand
media content, and analyzing/discussing media messages (Baran, 2014, p. 22-23).
C. Usually, police are portrayed as superheroes or as racist, brutal, and corruptive
depending on what they do or what is necessarily filmed (Hohl, 2011, p. 33).
D. Within this minimal but necessary knowledge, we can speak of relations between.
Transition: Without an understanding in how the police and public relationship works, trust
wont be built with just the media presence.
VI. Police and Public Relations through Police Chief
A. Greer and Mclaughlin (2011) bring up the exact feeling of what its like to be on
the media as a part of the police department. Its like being on trial by media. in a
culture infatuated with scandal and spectacle politics, headline-grabbing
 celebrity police chiefs can be built-up and knocked-down by the news media in
dramatic and newsworthy fashion (p. 26).
B. When media gets ahold of any police information, they can take it in any which
they want to. Anywhere from a minor theft crime to a double homicide, the media
will always be aware of the situations and make what they want out of it.
C. Ive seen in many police shows (real and fictional) have to make statements to the
media, and they even make sure to let us know on the show that the media will
twist it. For example, Criminal Minds does that.
Transition: Trust is an important factor with the community and police relation.

VII. Trust
A. How do we trust the police when the media posts negative remarks and actions
only?
B. The community wont feel comfortable with calling the police or asking for help
if the media instills negative views.
C. Confidence and trust go hand in hand. According to Hohl (2011), Confidence in
the police can be defined as a belief about the competence and capabilities of the
police to fulfil and act according to their specific roles (p. 38).
D. Motive-based trust is based on the expectation that the police will have the
publics best interest at heart and will act accordingly (Hohl, 2011, p. 38).
Transition:
VIII. Solutions for mass media effects on police are a must.
A. According to Hohl (2011), higher intensity in policing coverage is associated
with higher levels of confidence (p. 64).
B. The practical implications for the police are evident. If the police want to
demonstrate community engagement and procedural justice to those they do
not come in direct contact with, the police have to seek ways of directly
communicating with the public (Hohl, 2011, p. 69).
C. Procedural fairness is what we need to present in the media in order to make an
effective change the police image.

INTERNAL SUMMARY: When you see any media towards police, there will be a positive or
negative influence on it. And with that, comes the possibility to lose trust with them or change
perspective before looking at the whole situation.
Conclusion:

I Thanks so much for listening! Remember to look at the bigger picture before
losing trust with law enforcement.
II Thanks for listening. And if you have questions, please contact me through this
website. If this interests you, there are plenty of articles on media influence.
 References

Baran, S. J. (2014). Introduction to mass communication: Media literacy and culture. New York:

McGraw-Hill.

Greer, C. & Mclaughlin, E. (2011), Trial by media: Policing, the 24-7 news mediasphere and

the politics of outrage. Theoretical Criminology, 15(1), pp. 23-46. doi:

10.1177/1362480610387461

Hohl, K. (2011) The role of mass media and police communication in trust in the police: new

approaches to the analysis of survey and media data. PhD thesis, The London School of

Economics and Political Science (LSE). Retrieved 24 May 2017, from

http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/213/