Professional Documents
Culture Documents
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
KEY TERMS
CHAPTER OUTLINE
I. Introduction
II. Mutual Reliance of the Police and the Media
III. The First Amendment and Freedom of the Press
IV. The Sixth Amendment, Suspects’ Rights, and Criminal Investigations
V. Victim Privacy Rights
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29
CHAPTER SUMMARY
One important group with which the police interact is the media. The police and the media,
sharing the common goal of serving the public, have a symbiotic relationship; they are mutually
dependent on each other. However, the media are guided by the First Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution, which guarantees the public’s right to know—that is, freedom of the press—whereas
the police are guided by the Sixth Amendment, which guarantees the right to a fair trial and
protects the defendant’s rights. The differing objectives of these amendments may lead to conflict
between the media and the police. Police may need to withhold information from the media until
next of kin are notified, in the interest of public safety or to protect the integrity of an investigation.
Another source of conflict between the press and the police is the danger in which members of
the press may place themselves when trying to obtain a story. To help ensure the safety of media
personnel at explosive situations, police should meet with media representatives to explain
the safety rules before an incident arises. Conflict between the police and the media need not
be dysfunctional. In fact, healthy conflict between the media and the police is necessary and
beneficial. In general, lying to the press is a bad idea; however, in occasional extraordinary
circumstances, lying may be necessary. If some morally overriding reason, such as public safety,
obliges an official to lie, then later, after the crisis has passed, an explanation of or apology for
the deception should be made.
A step toward improved media relations is to recognize why reporters may foul up a story.
Reporters may bungle a story because of ignorance, oversimplification or time constraints.
A police–media relationship survey found that the factor most affecting this relationship was
accessibility to police data and personnel.
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
To improve police–media relations, the press should be informed of a department’s policies and
procedures regarding the media and crime scenes; information should be simplified, avoiding
police jargon and technical terminology; and reporters’ deadlines should be respected by releasing
information in a timely manner so the press has a chance to fully understand the situation.
1. What examples are you aware of where the police lied to the media? Were they justified in
doing that?
Answers should include a discussion of lying to the press: is it ever justified, and if so, when.
Answers should include examples of when the police lied to the press and whether or not the
student feels it was justified and why.
3. How fairly do you feel the media in your community report crime and violence? Collect three
examples to support your position.
Answers should include a discussion of media fairness in reporting crime in the student’s
community and list three examples to support his or her position.
4. How fairly do you feel national media (radio, television, magazines, newspapers) cover crime
and violence? Collect three examples to support your position.
Answers should include a discussion of national media fairness covering crime and violence in
the nation and provide three examples to support the student’s position.
5. What might make good topics for PIOs during crime prevention week?
Answers should include discussion of crime prevention week and topics that would be
appropriate for use by the PIOs during the week and what topics the student would like to see
included for dissemination and why.
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Answers should include a discussion of the media’s and journalism’s governing principles for
reporting and how they affect the for-profit business aspect of journalism.
7. Do you feel the media are sometimes insensitive to victims and could also be part of the
second injury of victimization? If so, can you give examples?
Answers should include a discussion of media sensitivity to victims and how their perceived
lack of sensitivity to victims may do further harm to the victims; answers should include three
examples of this lack of sensitivity and how it affected the victims.
8. What media are available in your community to inform the public of police department
operations?
Answers should include a discussion of the availability of media in the student’s community to
inform the public of police department operations and how the availability or lack of availability
affects police community relations.
9. Which media do you feel have the most impact on the public?
Answers should include a discussion of what the student believes are the media (TV, radio,
magazines, newspapers, etc.) in his or her community that have the most impact on the public.
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Illustrator: L. J. Bridgman
Language: English
BY AMY E. BLANCHARD
Illustrated by
L. J. BRIDGMAN
BOSTON
DANA ESTES & COMPANY
PUBLISHERS
Copyright, 1909
By Dana Estes & Company
"I seem to have made an impression," she said as her aunt came up.
"I didn't know strangers were such a rarity here that people stared at
them the way that man did at me. I wonder who he is and what made
him look so taken by surprise."
"Oh, I suppose he didn't know that any of the summer residents had
arrived," returned Miss Elliott, "and he wondered who you were and
where you came from. There aren't usually any summer visitors here
before the middle of June."
"I suppose that must have been it," returned Gwen, at the same time
feeling that it did not quite explain matters.
At the side door, by which it seemed they were expected to enter,
they met Ora. She turned away her head and hurried around to the
kitchen.
"What a pretty girl," said Gwen, looking after her. "Such a lovely
complexion. But, oh dear, why does she lace so painfully? Doesn't
she know wasp waists are all out of style? That they belong to the
early Victorian age and passed out with ringlets and high
foreheads?"
"She probably doesn't know," returned Miss Elliott. "I notice that
many of the girls up here still cling to the traditions of their
grandmothers in more than one direction. I have heard that one, at
least, died from the effects of tight lacing."
"Then they need a missionary as much as the heathen Chinee
does," observed Gwen as she entered the house.
She had gone out bareheaded but she tossed aside the golf-cape,
which was none too warm for out-door wear, and sat down by the
window. Miss Phenie, established in a comfortable rocking-chair,
was quite ready for a chat while she knitted a "sweaterette" as she
called it. Miss Phosie was in the kitchen getting supper, but Miss
Phenie felt that it was due to her position as elder sister to entertain
the guests rather than to give a hand to the evening's work. It was
always her attitude and one of which no one had ever heard Miss
Phosie complain. The most that she had ever done was to remark to
Almira Green: "It's very easy to be hospitable when you do the
entertaining and some one else does the work." But that was under
great provocation when the minister, the surveyor, the doctor and the
editor of The Zephyr had all arrived on the island in one day and all
had been entertained at Cap'n Ben's house because there seemed
nowhere else for them to go. On that occasion Miss Phenie, as
usual, had asserted her right to the position of hostess, and had left
Miss Phosie alone to wash the dishes as well as to get the dinner,
Ora having gone to Portland for the day.
"Well," said Almira Green to whom Miss Phosie's remark was made,
"there was Cap'n Ben to do the talking, and as they was all men I
don't see why Phenie was called upon to set with them all the time."
"I guess she thought she had to," Miss Phosie had returned with the
feeling that perhaps she had said too much.
To-day, however, there was not much reason for Miss Phenie's
presence in the kitchen, for, while Miss Phosie made the soda
biscuits Ora could be setting the table. The lobsters had been boiled
that morning, so there were only the fish and potatoes to fry, and the
preserves to be set on the table with the cake. Miss Phenie, in tight
fitting black alpaca, rocked comfortably and asked questions till
Gwen, by the window, saw Luther Williams pass. "Who is that, Miss
Phenie?" she asked. "That tall man with the serious face and the
kind eyes?"
"I guess you mean Mr. Williams. I presume he is taking his after
supper smoke. He boards with us, you know."
"Oh!" Gwen wondered why he had not appeared at the table. "Is he
a relative of yours?"
"None in the world, and we never heard that he had any. He gets a
daily paper and advertising letters sometimes, but I never knew him
to get any other mail. He's real well educated, and reads everything
he can lay his hands on, but he is a very quiet man. He never talks
much to anybody, but there ain't a kinder man living. If anybody's in
trouble he's the first on hand, and the first to put his hand in his
pocket."
"Is he a fisherman?"
"Yes. His pound is just off your point. He's been real lucky and it's
said he's right well off."
"Has he boarded with you long?"
"Ever since he came to the island; that's about twenty years now. He
came for a week's fishing, he said, and he's stayed ever since. I
never heard a word against Mr. Williams. Everybody likes him, and if
he is rather close-mouthed you don't hear him speak ill of anyone.