´Criminalising the Other´

In response to Melissa Cheng´s blog: ´Modern day moral panics´. http://melscrim2027blog.blogspot.com/

Much of what is involved in the studies around media, crime and politics can be linked to what Melissa is discussing in her text. Firstly, the media portrayal of detainees from Willawood detention centre (as well as other detention centres around Australia) is extremely one-sided. Never can you read in the newspaper or hear on the news about the detainees’ conditions in those prison-like facilities. More frankly, never do the media report on the many and various human rights abuses that occur through the process of mandatory detention in Australia. Rather, just as Melissa points out, through different media sources the detainees are constructed as a threat to our society, as someone that shouldn’t be here.

Moreover, Michael Grewcocks latest book (which I recommend to everyone interested in the area of refugees and asylum seekers to read) Border Crimes: Australia’s war on illicit migrants, he talks about Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers as ´illegal immigrants´ - just as they are described in the media – but how this treatment in itself should be regarded as criminal – as state crime. The facts that Grewcock highlights in his book is facts that you would never come across in the media. Thus, and as he concludes, the alienation of, and the construction of the unauthorised migrant as the outsider is the most powerful legitimising process underpinning the implementation of policy responses to migration in Australia (Grewcock, 2009). Here, the links between the media, crime and politics becomes obvious; the sense of a threat to society and the fear for foreigners produced by the media do influence public policy responses.

Secondly, analysing the post 9/11 society that we live in I agree with Melissa that the level of security, defence forces and terrorism laws have gone into overdrive; particularly when considering the panic which have centred around those of Arabic-speaking background.  Here the medias role has been vital in creating extensive concerns amongst the general public (Marsh & Melville, 2009). Poynting et al (2005) states in their text Bin Laden in the Suburbs: Criminalising the Arab Other, that central to moments of moral panic is the creation of a folk devil – where the folk devil is the key focus of moral and social anxieties in the moment of panic (Poynting et al, 2005 in Brown et al, 2006). On the one hand, yes the 9/11 attacks were extremely severe and should not be taken lightly but again, agreeing with Melissa, the media response to the whole situation, alongside the killing of Bin Laden, has created an unnecessary fear and panic due to exaggerated media reportage.  

In summation, both these issues portrayed and related to crime can be viewed as modern day moral panics as they have remained as hot topics throughout media for decades and still have an obvious impact on public policy until this day.  

References:

Brown et al, 2006, Criminal Laws, 4^th edn, The Federation Press, Sydney

Grewcock, M 2009, Border Crimes: Australia’s War on Illicit Migrants, Institute of                   Criminology Press, Sydney

Marsh, I & Melville, G 2009, Crime, Justice and The Media, Routledge, London and New        York