Is there an Attentional Perpetrator Bias in Media Coverage of Criminal Assault Cases?
Abstract
Previous research has shown that people have the tendency to view the victim as being partly
responsible for a violent assault, as though they themselves did something to deserve the crime.
Known as victim-blaming, this phenomenon makes the individuals doing the blaming feel safe
and that such an assault will not happen to them (Hafer & Begue, 2005; Bal & van den Bos,
2012). The media’s focus on the background and character of the perpetrator rather than the
victim may contribute to victim blaming by encouraging viewers to sympathize with the
perpetrator, while discouraging them from empathizing with the victim. The purpose of this
study is to assess the prevalence of these attentional biases in the media during several highprofile
mass shooting incidents in 2012. In studying the media bias in these cases, this study aims
to add to prior discussion on the subjects of victim blaming and attentional bias, as well as aid in
the inspiration and facilitation of future research and discussion on the effects that such biases
may have.
Citation
Maggard, Gregory A (2016). Is there an Attentional Perpetrator Bias in Media Coverage of Criminal Assault Cases?. Undergraduate Research Scholars Program. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /157701.