| Despite a steady decline in juvenile homicide throughout the 1990's, public concern and interest in juvenile violence is at an all-time high due to the recent deadly school shootings in Colorado, Kentucky, Mississippi and Arkansas. This increased public concern has resulted in a wealth of new research dealing with issues in juvenile homicide such as its root causes, prevention strategies, and changes over time. However, while this research has provided important information concerning the empirical reality of juvenile homicide, there has been little research concerning the social reality of juvenile homicide. Specifically, little research has attempted to determine how the media portrays juvenile homicide and whether its coverage is representative of the reality of juvenile homicide. Using an extensive data set of all homicides committed in Houston, TX from 1986-94, and all newspaper articles written for this period, this research attempts to quantitatively and qualitatively assess the representativeness of newspaper coverage of juvenile homicide. In addition, social, political, and policy implications resulting from how juvenile homicides are portrayed in the media will be discussed. |
Updated 05/20/2006