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Rowan University

Framing in crime news

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate if televised news programs overrepresent or underrepresent certain races as perpetrators or victims. Three weeks of crime news programming were surveyed. The races of perpetrators and victims were identified and coded. Those findings were then compared to 2014 crime statistics obtained from the Philadelphia Police Department. It was hypothesized that (a) Blacks would be overrepresented as perpetrators, (b) Blacks would be underrepresented as victims, (c) Whites would be overrepresented as victims, (d) Whites would be underrepresented as perpetrators, (e) Hispanics would neither be underrepresented or overrepresented as perpetrators, and (f) Hispanics would neither be underrepresented or overrepresented as victims. A chi-square goodness-of-fit test was performed to determine if any races were underrepresented or overrepresented as perpetrators or victims. The only two hypotheses supported were that Blacks were underrepresented as victims while Whites were overrepresented as victims.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
M.A. School Psychology-Professional School Psychology
Level thesis:degree_level
Thesis
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Psychology
Year dc:date.available
2015

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Ward, Gabriele
Contributors dc:contributor
  • Dihoff, Roberta

Subjects

dc:subject × 3

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Repository record dc:identifier
https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/550
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:rdw.rowan.edu:etd-1549

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Rowan University
Base URL
rdw.rowan.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Ward, Gabriele. Framing in crime news. Thesis thesis, 2015. https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/550