The objective of this bachelor thesis was to examine how the lifetime sentenced Johanna Möller, who in 2016 persuaded her boyfriend to kill her parents, is portrayed in Swedish news journalism. We analyzed 46 articles published in Swedish tabloid describing her character after she received her sentence in August 2017. The research questions were: How is Johanna Möller portrayed as a character? How is Johanna Möller portrayed as a criminal? How is Johanna Möller portrayed as a woman? Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis (CDA) and the associated three-dimensional model was conducted to find and dissect discourses in the articles. We carried out the analysis from a gender-related theoretical perspective and drew parallels to earlier research concerning media and crime.  Through the analysis, five discourses could be identified; The Non-agent, The Evil Woman and The Good Boy, Temptress, The Bad Mother and She Who Never Does Right.    Not seldom is Johanna Möller described as promiscuous, evil and manipulative. Her role as a mother is also being repeatedly criticized even though her actual crimes are not related to her motherhood. Accordingly, the journalists are constantly looking for an explanation for her abnormal behaviour and she is often being described as a cold hearted yet emotional person, which can be seen as a significant paradox in the portrayal of her. Our conclusion is that no matter Johanna Möller’s actual crimes, her role as a woman has become the most present aspect of her actions.

State level bias crime legislation was passed throughout much of the United States over the last three decades. Beyond their prosecutorial or instrumental application, bias or hate crime laws serve an expressive or messaging function. This function is meant to promote societal cohesion through the rejection of hateful ideologies, as well as signal to attacked or marginalized members of communities that the government is directly addressing the effects of bias crime. As the number of reported hate crimes in the United States remains essentially level, it is of importance to assess how well the expressive function is performing. Following a background on the development, debate, and variation of bias or hate crime law, this project focuses on a content analysis of prominent state level media with the expectation that the expressive success of laws can be detected in bias crime coverage. It is found that bias crime related stories were featured with greater regularity in the states of Washington and Minnesota, which have passed extensive bias crime legislation. Bias crime related stories were far less prominent in South Carolina, which has no bias crime laws. The State of Wyoming, another state with no bias crime laws, displayed a surprisingly large amount of coverage, primarily as a result of the high-profile murder of Matthew Shepard in 1998.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study analyses the impact of crime on sustainable tourism growth in the Western Cape. It investigates tourists' perceptions of crime in the province and the role of the media in creating or influencing these perceptions. This study also provides an overview of the most important government initiatives and policies that have been undertaken and implemented at local, provincial and national levels. These policies are discussed and evaluated to determine whether it has in fact brought or encouraged sustainable tourism growth in the Western Cape. A survey, with a sample size of 25 respondents was undertaken during the period of April to June 2005 and comprised 13 tour operators, eight tourism bureaus and four travel agencies, which are all based in the Western Cape. The aim of the study was to gain insight into the travel motivations and patterns of the thousands of tourists that visit the province every year and their perceptions regarding crime, from the viewpoint of these primary producers (i.e. the travel intermediaries) in the tourism production system. Crime does not only affect residents, but also has an impact on tourist behaviour and deters visitors from visiting a country, as most tourists are risk-aversive and consider such factors when deciding on a destination. Only a small number of tourists are disappointed with the crime situation when visiting the Western Cape, but the majority of tourists still regard it as a serious problem, and possible deterrent, of the province. These perceptions do have a tendency to change more positively once tourists have visited the area. Nevertheless, respondents feel obliged to warn tourists against crime or give them advice about their safety and security. The various levels of government are committed towards improving safety and security in South Africa and numerous policies and initiatives have been developed and implemented. However, most do not specifically focus on crimes against tourists. Safety and security is considered as a prerequisite for a successful tourism industry, thus both local residents and tourists should receive equal attention with regards to safety and security from the government. However, many respondents are unaware of the existence of the government's initiatives to combat crime, which raises doubts about the effectiveness of these initiatives, their implementation and their intended benefits. The government should formulate comprehensive and constructive provincial policies in order to address the potentially detrimental impacts of crime on sustainable tourism growth in the Western Cape. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie analiseer die impak van misdaad op volhoubare toerisme groei in die Wes-Kaap. Dit ondersoek toeriste se persepsies van misdaad in die provinsie en die rol van die media om hierdie persepsies te beinvloed. Die studie gee 'n oorsig oor die belangrikste regeringsinisiatiewe en -beleide wat geimplimenteer is op plaaslike, provinsiale and nasionale vlakke. Hierdie beleide word bespreek en geevalueer om vas te stel of dit daadwerklik volhoubare toerisme groei in die Wes-Kaap bewerkstellig en aanmoedig. 'n Opname met 'n steekproef van 25 respondente was onderneem gedurende April tot Junie 2005. Die steekproef sluit in 13 toer operateurs, agt toerismeburo's en vier reisagentskappe, almal gebasseer in die Wes-Kaap. Die doel van die studie was om insig te kry oor die motivering en reispatrone van die toeriste wat jaarliks die provinsie besoek, asook wat hul persepsies oor misdaad is soos waargeneem deur die primere produsente (d.w. s. reisbemiddelaars) in die toerisme produksiesisteem. Misdaad affekteer nie net inwoners nie, maar het ook 'n impak op toeriste se gedrag en kan selfs toeriste weerhou daarvan om die land te besoek, want veiligheid en sekuriteit is van die belangrikste oorwegingsfaktore wanneer daar besluit word om 'n land te besoek. Slegs 'n paar toeriste is teleurgesteld met die misdaad situasie wanneer hulle die Wes-Kaap besoek, maar die meerderheid beskou dit steeds as 'n ernstige probleem, of selfs afskrikmiddel, in die provinsie. Hierdie persepsies is geneig om te verander nadat die toeriste die area besoek het. Respondente beskou dit egter steeds as hul plig om toeriste teen misdaad te waarsku. Op verskeie vlakke van regering word daar voortdurend gestreef na veiligheid en sekuriteit in Suid-Afrika te verbeter. Verskeie regeringsbeleide en inisiatiewe is al ontwikkel en geimplimenteer, maar die meeste fokus nie spesifiek op misdaad teen toeriste nie. Veiligheid en sekuriteit word beskou as 'n voorvereiste vir 'n suksesvolle toerisme industrie, daarom moet beide inwoners en toeriste dieselfde aandag met betrekking tot veiligheid en sekuriteit van die regering ontvang. Dis egter kommerwekkend dat meeste van die respondente onbewus is van hierdie inisiatiewe om misdaad te bekamp. Die regering moet fokus daarop om 'n omvattende en konstruktiewe provinsiale beleid te formuleer om sodoende die nadelige impak van misdaad op volhoubare toerismegroei in die Wes-Kaap aan te spreek.

The purpose of this study is to examine the media coverage of a police shooting in Bagarmossen, Stockholm. According to the news the police claimed it was an act of self-defense as a man fired a gun at them which is why the man was shot to death, but a month later stated that the man had not even been armed. The following study seeks to analyze the differences and similarities between articles published before and after the modified information. It also examines social actors present and how the media portrays them. We applied discourse analysis on sixteen news articles to answer our research questions. The prominent differences we found were in the portrayals of the incident and the most protrusive social actors in­volved. Before the police changed their state­ment, the man shot dead was portrayed as a criminal with deviant behavior. After the changed statement, the media portrayed him as a family man with strong ties to his hometown. The police were another social actor in our study, portrayed before the changed statements as efficient with a strong work ethic. After, the police were por­trayed as dishonest and lacking severely in their communica­tion as a legitimate authori­ty. One of the similarities found before and after the changed statement was the pres­ence of the local community as a social actor and its significance for the news media's portrayal of the incident.

The aim of this study was to examine how two different newspapers covered the disappearance and murder of Wilma Andersson. The research questions were: How are the victim and perpetrator portrayed? What differences and similarities can we see in national news media versus local news media, and how did the image of the victim and perpetrator change over the course of the coverage?   The method used was critical discourse analyses of 14 articles in the local newspaper Bohusläningen and the national tabloid Aftonbladet. By analysing the assigned characteristics from each source, it was determined that the victim, Wilma Andersson, was portrayed to the reader as a young and innocent girl. She was described as caring, responsible and ambitious. She was depicted as a girl with a bright future and love of life. The local newspaper labeled her as a part of the community, while the national tabloid focused on describing her character through family members. The perpetrator, Tishko Ahmed, was portrayed as a cold and sinister man who was indifferent to Wilma Andersson’s disappearance and death. However, early on in the national tabloid’s coverage he was also described as an everyday man. The local newspaper was more prone to cover the story in a neutral manner, while the national tabloid dramatized the event to a greater extent. Our study shows that the geographical distance between the newspaper and the place of the crime scene is the main factor in the differences between the portrayals of the people involved. The closer the newspaper is to the crime scene, the closer they are to people who knew the victim and perpetrator. This results in the newspaper being more cautious in how they cover the story.

Text in English / This study investigates the SAPS utilisation of social media in its fight against crime, and the extent to which the SAPS is already using it. The findings suggest that the SAPS is utilising social media in the fight against crime, mostly at a specialised level. Detectives at station level lack adequate knowledge and skills to use social media to their advantage. A lack of adequate resources and training is also identified. Social media is a communication platform for millions of people, and should therefore be used in the SAPS, to its advantage, to solve crime. Guidelines are in place for law enforcement officials who need to use it in their investigations. Recommendations resulting from the study include benchmarking with international law enforcement agencies, and finalisation of relevant policies. Training material should be developed and presented to detectives and members at station level. Resources should be made available to members to use in their investigations. / Police Practice / M. Tech. (Policing)

This study examines changes over time in 40 different Sherlock Holmes films and 39 television series and movies spanning from 1900 to 2017. Quantitative observations were mixed with a qualitative examination. Perceptions of law enforcement became more positive over time, the types of crime did not vary, and representation of race and gender improved over time with incrementally positive changes in the representation of queer, mentally ill, and physically handicapped individuals. The exact nature of these trends is discussed. Additionally, the trends of different decades are explored and compared. Sherlock Holmes is mostly used as a vehicle for storytelling rather than for the salacious crimes that he solves, making the identification of perceptions of crime in different decades difficult. The reasons for why different Sherlock Holmes projects were created in different eras and for different purposes are discussed.