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Trends & Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice

No. 55: The portrayal of violence in the media: impacts and implications for policy

Melanie Brown
ISBN 0 642 24015 9 ; ISSN 0817-8542
June 1996

Abstract

The relationship between media depictions of violence and violent behaviour is extremely complex. There are a number of interacting variables which influence who will be affected, by what material, and in what way. These include: the context in which the violence is portrayed; the age of the viewer; and the participant's ability to differentiate between fantasy and reality, and justified or unjustified use of force. Brown explores the complexities of the problem in the context of different forms of visual entertainment, and proposes a number of policy options for addressing the issue.

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