Traditional views of crime reporting can be dated as far back to the two founding fathers of sociology, Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim, in that crime reporting is highly critical and extremely selective (Greer, 2009, p. 201). Upon analysing any criminological theory or crime, media and political nexus, victims and offenders alike, cannot be left out of the discussion process. The claim of a victim status can be influenced by many things such as social divisions within class, race, ethnicity, gender and age. This blog will focus specifically on the social divisions within class and gender and the role the media play in determining the deserving or undeserving victim and how they deem victims to be considered newsworthy.

A prolific example of these media values can be seen through the recent controversy between a former David Jones publicist Kristy Fraser-Kirk and the former CEO Mark McInnes. The obvious distinctions in gender with the accused being male, victim being female, fits into an idealistic criminal event. And one can assume that criminological experts would consider the social divide that exists between the pair is also imperative consideration.

Ms Fraser-Kirk is suing David Jones, nine directors and the store's former chief executive Mark McInnes, under the Trade Practices Act 1974 (CTH) and the Fair Trading Act 1987 (NSW), claiming he made unwelcome sexual advances to her.

The media selectivity surrounding this case tended to be quite subjective, dramatic and utterly sensationalised with examples like McInnes “fleeing the country with his pregnant girlfriend” and “following two months he'd rather forget” Therefore Fraser-Kirk, could be seen as the ‘ideal’ victim as she contains most of the attributions that Marsh and Melville outline such as the status of the victim being vulnerable, defenceless, innocent and worthy of sympathy and compassion (2009, p.128).

As previously stated, most of our conceptions of crime are received through the media and as the state acts on behalf of the victim as soon as the allegations are made, sometimes the victims become a forgotten facet of the criminal justice system. The media hope to attain articulation in the victim’s pain, suffering and confusion in a newsworthy fashion so that others can attach some meaning to the victim or the family of the victim. The newsworthiness of this crime increases significantly if the victim or members of the family weep on camera, or express their pain dramatically in words (Chermak, 1995). Reiner also mentioned that we hear a lot more about victims and their point of views than we ever have (2000). This can be seen through Kristy receiving a considerable amount of backlash from the public as she is seeking compensation and punitive damages of up to $37 million, which in the eyes of some, is quite excessive. The negative effects on the victim have become obvious, with "The release of her image and identity to the media without her permission compromising the trust Ms Fraser-Kirk had that her employer would treat her complaint with respect," with SMH also saying she has become so anxious she spends most of her time inside her apartment with the blinds drawn so that no one can photograph her” and the unwanted “media attention had produced physical repercussions, such as light-headedness, dizziness, clamminess, shakiness, tension, followed by exhaustion”. Kristy Fraser-Kirk 'stays in the dark' to avoid media "Ms Fraser-Kirk stated that she has experienced acute episodes of vomiting, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, weight loss and sleep impairment.

The extent that both the public and the media have picked on this case can be seen through Fraser-Kirk comprising her own website containing statements of claims, press releases, specific media articles and contact details for the hotline set up by Kristy Fraser-Kirk for any David Jones employees, past or present, who wish to have a confidential discussion in relation to inappropriate behaviour at David Jones. This media attention could be viewed as a positive because it has helped other women who were also allegedly victimised by Mark McInnes to speak out. Examples such as these reiterate the important status of a victim and allowing them to speak out can in some ways help the case at hand more than hinder it as previously hypothesised.

References

Chermak, S. 1995. ‘Victims in the News: Crime and the American News Media.’ Westview Press, United States.

Greer, C. 2009. ‘Crime and Media: A Reader.’ Routledge, London.

Marsh, I. and Melville, G. 2009. ‘Crime, Justice and the Media 1st ed.’ Routledge, London.