With headlines like “Violent Immigration Rally Injures L.A. Officer” (Officer.com) it’s easy to get wrapped up in the dramatic side of policing.  However, with further investigation into the article one may find that the officer sustained only a minor injury to her ankle.  The media’s focus is to entertain the public with over the top headlines, and juicy gossip about police work.  One of the biggest selling-points for the media is reporting on the blunders of police officers.  But when reporters are not police bashing, can they actually help in solving a crime? 

The very basis of journalism rests on the First Amendment which allows freedom of speech and freedom of the press.  There is a constant struggle between the police and media.  One wants to protect important information from being leaked, while the other  feels it is the publics right to know.  But, who is correct?  The police have an investigation to conduct, victims to protect, and a culprit to catch.  The media also has a job to do, a need to out-scoop, and an obligation to fill the public in on what’s happening in the community.  These two duties often cross paths and cause conflict amongst both organizations.

One of the major causes for tension comes from the media wanting to know all details of a crime in order to broadcast them to the public.  Included in this, is the want to have access to crime scenes and sensitive information.  The media will sometimes stop at nothing to gain access to a crime scene; however the U.S. Supreme Court has set specific rules governing their access.  The Supreme Court stated that journalists “have no constitutional right of access to the scenes of crime or disaster when the  general public is excluded”.  The major concern here is the contamination of evidence at crime scenes.  The media has no training to protect the evidence at a scene, nor is their need to report greater than the need to solve the crime.

Another concern with the media is their want to have access to sensitive information when it may jeapardize the investigation.  Law enforcement will withhold information from the public in an attempt to protect aspects of the crime, usually so that the perpetrator does not know the direction the investigation is heading, and will be less likely to change his/her MO.  Other concerns related with the media include: broadcasting the description of the perp, only to learn it was false; publicity affecting the perceptions of the public in regards to a case; broadcasting the names of suspects and finding them guilty before trial; and attracting an overload of information from citizens who believe they are helping, when indeed they are causing even greater backlogs in the case.

While there are great drawbacks to the media and criminal investigations, on occasion they can positively affect a case as well.  There are four main areas of the media: newspapers, radio, internet, and television.  With all four outlets at their disposal, the media is able t broadcast time-sensitive information quickly and effectively.  In situations where AMBER alerts are needed, the media is able to reach the public and disseminate the information quickly.  Also, the public can be a wealth of knowledge pertaining to cases.  Many times there are witnesses that are unaware of the information they posses until the case is brought to their attention.  In situations such as these, the media works hand in hand with programs like crime-stoppers to collect and examine tips from the public.  As of today, the media, community, and law enforcement together with crime-stoppers has helped solve more than 560,000 cases over the past thirty years.

As much as law enforcement and the media collide on issues, neither one are going anywhere anytime soon.  Because of this, they must learn to work together and help to fulfill each others needs.  The police need the media to help distribute information to the public, while the media needs the police to supply them with juicy details.  Simple measures such as better communication of needs and understanding each others job requirements may help to bridge the gap between organizations.