Free Essays on Media And Sentences

The definition of crime and the procedures used to deal with the accused are social and political issues. The public’s knowledge of the our criminal justice system is necessary, as their opinions play an important part of the Criminal Code revision process (Roberts & Doob, 1984). The mass media serves as the core of information for citizens of any designated country. It is therefore safe to assume that the media has a great influence over the opinions formed by their readers or listeners. The public is forced to read or listen to the opinion of a particular mass media group such as the New York Times or ABC News to keep up with current events. The public relies on the media to convey accurate and informed information but don’t anticipate the media to do so at the expense of the citizen’s knowledge. Another factor many people are not aware of is that, â€Å"the mass media function in part as an interest group. Each component of the mass media is a business, and like other businesses, it has a direct interest in various areas of public policy† (Vago, 2003). Companies like these have great influence over the American people and what is published or aired by them undeniably has a great impact. News media plays a pivotal role in the formation and transformation of public attitudes towards crime, criminals and the criminal justice system (Doob & Roberts, 1990), and policy makers. This paper will discuss the mass media’s effect over public opinion of sentencing criminals by examining two studies conducted by Doob and Roberts. The second of the studies, 1990, is actually three consecutive studies summarized in one research presentation. The reason for this was to follow up on questions arising from the previous study and to rule out outside influencing factors and most importantly to ensure replication validity of both the 1984 and the current ongoing research. The research executed by Doob and Roberts was conducted by seeking... Free Essays on Media And Sentences Free Essays on Media And Sentences The definition of crime and the procedures used to deal with the accused are social and political issues. The public’s knowledge of the our criminal justice system is necessary, as their opinions play an important part of the Criminal Code revision process (Roberts & Doob, 1984). The mass media serves as the core of information for citizens of any designated country. It is therefore safe to assume that the media has a great influence over the opinions formed by their readers or listeners. The public is forced to read or listen to the opinion of a particular mass media group such as the New York Times or ABC News to keep up with current events. The public relies on the media to convey accurate and informed information but don’t anticipate the media to do so at the expense of the citizen’s knowledge. Another factor many people are not aware of is that, â€Å"the mass media function in part as an interest group. Each component of the mass media is a business, and like other businesses, it has a direct interest in various areas of public policy† (Vago, 2003). Companies like these have great influence over the American people and what is published or aired by them undeniably has a great impact. News media plays a pivotal role in the formation and transformation of public attitudes towards crime, criminals and the criminal justice system (Doob & Roberts, 1990), and policy makers. This paper will discuss the mass media’s effect over public opinion of sentencing criminals by examining two studies conducted by Doob and Roberts. The second of the studies, 1990, is actually three consecutive studies summarized in one research presentation. The reason for this was to follow up on questions arising from the previous study and to rule out outside influencing factors and most importantly to ensure replication validity of both the 1984 and the current ongoing research. The research executed by Doob and Roberts was conducted by seeking...

Debunking Ring a Ring a Roses

Debunking Ring a Ring a Roses There is a myth that the British children’s rhyme Ring a Ring a Roses is all about the plague- either the Great Plague of 1665-6 or the Black Death centuries earlier- and dates from those eras. The words describe the contemporary practice in treating it, and refer to the fate so many befell. The Truth The earliest known use of the rhyme is the Victorian era, and it almost certainly doesn’t date back to the plague (any of them). While the lyrics can be interpreted as being loosely connected to death and disease prevention, this is believed to be just that, an interpretation given in the mid-twentieth century by overeager commentators, and are not a direct result of plague experience, or anything to do with it. A Children’s Rhyme There are many variations in the words of the rhyme, but a common variant is: Ring a ring a rosesA pocket full of posesAtishoo, AtishooWe all fall down The last line is often followed by the singers, usually children, all falling down to the ground. You can certainly see how that variant sounds like it might be something to do with the plague: the first two lines as references to the bundles of flowers and herbs which people wore to ward away the plague, and the latter two lines referring to illness (sneezing) and then death, leaving the singers dead on the ground. It’s easy to see why a rhyme could be connected to the plague. The most famous of these was the Black Death, when a disease swept across Europe in 1346–53, killing over a third of the population. Most people believe this was the bubonic plague, which causes black lumps over the victim, giving it the name, although there are people who reject this. The plague was spread by the bacteria on fleas on rats and devastated the British Isles as much as continental Europe. Society, economy, and even war was changed by the plague, so why wouldn’t such a massive and horrifying event have ingrained itself into the public consciousness in the form of a rhyme? Robin Hood’s legend is about as old. The rhyme is linked to another outbreak of plague too, the Great Plague of 1665-6, and this is the one which was seemingly stopped in London by the Great Fire burning a huge urban area. Again, there are surviving stories of the fire, so why not a rhyme about the plague? One common variant in the lyrics involves ashes instead of atishoo, and is interpreted as either cremation of corpses or skin blackening from the diseased lumps. However, folklorists and historians now believe that the plague claims date only from the mid-twentieth century, when it became popular to give existing rhymes and sayings older origins. The rhyme began in the Victorian era, the idea it was plague-related began only a few decades ago.  However, so widespread was the rhyme in England, and so deep in children’s consciousness did it lodge, that many adults now connect it to the plague.