Crime news is a prominent feature of many modern media outlets. It can be very emotionally intense to write about because it often involves crimes that have serious consequences and reflect important societal issues like greed, sex, and revenge. Those who work in the field have to be very well versed in how to research and write clearly and concisely about complex subjects. They must also have a solid working knowledge of criminal laws and the law on libel.
Many Americans consume local crime news, but the majority of them aren’t especially satisfied with its quality. Just a third of those who consume crime news say they’re extremely or very satisfied with the quality of this type of local news, which is about as low as the shares who are highly satisfied with the quality of other types of local news.
The biggest share of crime stories focuses on violent crimes, such as murders and assaults. However, these events occur relatively infrequently, so it is important to cover other types of local crime as well – such as economic crime and cases that can be expected to have a greater social impact. Media crime reporting also often overstates the number of violent crimes, compared with police data.
Some crime journalists go on to become best-selling authors by writing books about true-crime cases. Examples include Ann Rule, a former Seattle police reporter, Jerry Bledsoe, an author of several true-crime novels, and Joe McGinniss, who has written a number of popular nonfiction books on the subject of gangland crime in Philadelphia.
