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http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A800-2001Apr10.html

Report Says Youth Violence Overplayed=20
By Neely Tucker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 11, 2001; Page B02=20


Newspapers, radio and television stations are vastly overreporting =
crimes committed by young people, particularly by minorities, according =
to an analysis of media reports during the past 90 years, a youth =
advocacy group reported yesterday.

Youth crime actually is at its lowest ebb in a generation, but as a =
result of news coverage, 62 percent of adults think juvenile crime is =
increasing, according to a survey cited in "Off Balance: Youth, Race, =
Crime in the News," an analysis of 77 public surveys conducted since =
1910. The study was funded by Building Blocks for Youth, a D.C.-based =
advocacy group.

An example of the gap between reality and perception came during the =
1998-99 school year, the report found. The likelihood of a high school =
student being killed in school was one in 2 million, but 71 percent of =
Americans thought a school shooting was likely in their community, =
according to an NBC/Wall Street Journal survey.

Numerous studies cited in the report showed that the distortion was =
greatest when minority youths were the subject of news reports, said =
Vincent Schiraldi, president of the Justice Policy Institute and a =
co-author of the study.

"What white Americans know of black youth crime, they know about . . . =
almost entirely from the media, in which it is seriously =
overrepresented," Schiraldi said. "The most profound finding is not just =
that media coverage is going up while crime is going down, not just that =
African American and Hispanic youths are overdepicted as criminals and =
are underdepicted as victims, but that it's all three at once. It's a =
misinformation synergy."=20

The study, which pulled together the results of dozens of surveys and =
media research findings, showed that television newscasts were the most =
likely to overreport crime news, followed by radio and newspapers. =
Televised newscasts about all killings, not just those involving youth, =
went up 473 percent between 1990 and 1998, according to a study by the =
U.S. Department of Justice. During that period, the homicide rate =
dropped by 32 percent.

Hilary O. Shelton, director of the Washington bureau of the NAACP, said =
such reporting perpetuates stereotypes that African American men are =
unusually violent.

"These sorts of distortions are not socially acceptable now, but they =
still happen," Shelton said.



=A9 2001 The Washington Post Company


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<DIV><FONT size=3D2><A=20
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<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2><STRONG><FONT size=3D4><FONT face=3DArial>Report =
Says Youth=20
Violence Overplayed<!--plsfield:stop--></FONT></FONT></STRONG><FONT =
size=3D3>=20
</FONT>
<P><FONT size=3D2><!--plsfield:byline--><I>By Neely =
Tucker</I><BR><!--plsfield:credit-->Washington Post Staff =
Writer<BR><!--plsfield:disp_date-->Wednesday, April 11, 2001; Page B02 =
</FONT>
<P><!--plsfield:description--><NITF>
<P>Newspapers, radio and television stations are vastly overreporting =
crimes=20
committed by young people, particularly by minorities, according to an =
analysis=20
of media reports during the past 90 years, a youth advocacy group =
reported=20
yesterday.</P>
<P>Youth crime actually is at its lowest ebb in a generation, but as a =
result of=20
news coverage, 62 percent of adults think juvenile crime is increasing,=20
according to a survey cited in "Off Balance: Youth, Race, Crime in the =
News," an=20
analysis of 77 public surveys conducted since 1910. The study was funded =
by=20
Building Blocks for Youth, a D.C.-based advocacy group.</P>
<P>An example of the gap between reality and perception came during the =
1998-99=20
school year, the report found. The likelihood of a high school student =
being=20
killed in school was one in 2 million, but 71 percent of Americans =
thought a=20
school shooting was likely in their community, according to an NBC/Wall =
Street=20
Journal survey.</P>
<P>Numerous studies cited in the report showed that the distortion was =
greatest=20
when minority youths were the subject of news reports, said Vincent =
Schiraldi,=20
president of the Justice Policy Institute and a co-author of the =
study.</P>
<P>"What white Americans know of black youth crime, they know about . . =
. almost=20
entirely from the media, in which it is seriously overrepresented," =
Schiraldi=20
said. "The most profound finding is not just that media coverage is =
going up=20
while crime is going down, not just that African American and Hispanic =
youths=20
are overdepicted as criminals and are underdepicted as victims, but that =
it's=20
all three at once. It's a misinformation synergy." </P>
<P>The study, which pulled together the results of dozens of surveys and =
media=20
research findings, showed that television newscasts were the most likely =
to=20
overreport crime news, followed by radio and newspapers. Televised =
newscasts=20
about all killings, not just those involving youth, went up 473 percent =
between=20
1990 and 1998, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Justice. =
During=20
that period, the homicide rate dropped by 32 percent.</P>
<P>Hilary O. Shelton, director of the Washington bureau of the NAACP, =
said such=20
reporting perpetuates stereotypes that African American men are =
unusually=20
violent.</P>
<P>"These sorts of distortions are not socially acceptable now, but they =
still=20
happen," Shelton said.</P>
<P></P></NITF>
<P>
<CENTER>=A9 2001<!--plsfield:end--> The Washington Post Company</CENTER>
<CENTER>&nbsp;</CENTER></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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