News Media Analysis

Daily in Weeks 1 through 3, you reviewed the first three pages of the local newspaper and editorial section, reviewed news from an online source, or reviewed the first 10 minutes of the local news on television for stories on crime. You determined the approximate percentage of stories from those sources that dealt with crime, the nature of the crime chronicled, and the location of the story in the source (e.g., front page, leading story, etc.). (Note: This course builds on itself, so this assignment may be applicable to your Final Paper.)

For this week’s assignment:

• Summarize your observations of the local news media stories over a three-week period.
• Explain how the media influences the criminal justice policy process.
• Analyze the news stories to determine how news stories are affecting crime control policies of the local criminal justice system (i.e., police, courts, or corrections) serving your community.
• Evaluate the role of media influence on criminal justice policy in your local community or state based on your analysis.

Your paper must:

• Be three to five double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style .
• Include a separate title page with the following:
  • Title of paper
  • Student’s name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted
• Use at least five scholarly sources in addition to the course text and in addition to the newspaper articles being evaluated.
• Document all sources in APA style