Media and violence: exploring the link

Media and Violence in Jamaica

Editors: Marjan de Bruin and Claude Robinson

Publisher: Arawak Publications

The issue of media and violence in Jamaica is what many would describe as a hot-button issue. Views on the topic vary, but there are those who regard the local media's portrayal of violence as offensive and suggest that it could even be a contributing factor to the rising levels of crime and the desensitisation to death and gore that seems to be spreading across the island.

The book Media and Violence in Jamaica edited by Marjan de Bruin and Claude Robinson explores the issue and provides, for those interested, an in-depth look at the controversial topic.

The book has its genesis in a 2003 seminar on the media's coverage of crime and violence. The editors are quick to point out, however, that while the seminar did indeed inspire the book, Media and Violence in Jamaica is more than just a symposium report. There are, therefore, added chapters with background information on violence in Jamaica, opinions of news makers and findings from international research on the impact of televised violence.

Among the issues explored in the book are newsroom considerations in covering crime and violence, with perspectives of senior editors in the business; televised portrayal of violence; and media violence and children. The editors also provide some possible alternative approaches to the coverage of crime.

A description on the back of the book states: "This book is required reading for those who wish to go beneath the surface of the public noise about violence and media. It takes the reader into the motives behind media productions; it shows how audiences interpret what they watch and how meanings and the truth may be distorted in the process. The authors, by means of extensive and rigorous research, have been able to assemble a coherent view of the complicated topic."

So, while this book isn't exactly casual reading material, you may find it interesting if you have an interest in the issue of crime and violence and Jamaican media.