The news report on crimes and violence will impose negative influence on individuals as well as the society. Why media create the coverage? What measures should we take to deal with this problem?

Footages of blood and law-breaking scenes flash across TV screens every day, leading people to believe that society is spinning out of control. The profit pursuing nature of the media explains the reason behind the phenomenon and a few measures could be adopted to tackle the problem.

The main reason for the media coverage of violent and criminal content is to accommodate the audience’s taste for negative news, aiming to boost the newspaper circulation and TV ratings. Compared with ordinary and uneventful matters in our daily life, those heinous unlawful behaviors involving death, punishment, legal intervention are more likely to capture people’s eyeballs, which in turn boost the profit of the media business. In addition, the mass negative news reflects the openness and progress of the media. The coverage of the dark side of society is to expose the social problems and dredge the public opinion. Compared with only good news coverage on the press and media, it indicates a kind of advancement in the part of media.

There are several ways to solve the headache. Firstly, the media should have more awareness of their social responsibility and cover more positive news instead of 24-hour, non-stop coverage of murder incidents or fighting scenes on the street. They need to offer more balanced coverage. Moreover, the audience should be aware of the tricks played by the media and not too swayed by the negative news they see. A deep knowledge of how the media works will prevent the pessimistic or cynical attitudes of audiences after viewing blood or crimes on the newspaper on the TV.

In a nutshell, the reason behind the phenomenon is to pursue profits. The media should reduce such coverage and the audience should maintain an objective attitude towards the issue.