Philip Bump: Crime is surging (in Fox News coverage)

[Nevilledog]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/10/06/crime-is-surging-fox-news-coverage/

No paywall
https://archive.ph/DRJ1l

Fox News contributor Gianno Caldwell caught up with Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) outside an elevator in the Capitol. His focus was simple: “We just want to talk about the crime crisis in America.” Nadler, who’d suggested that Caldwell contact his office, didn’t reply.

Perhaps Nadler was stymied by the framing. Which “crime crisis” is that, exactly? In Nadler’s hometown of New York City, murder and shooting incidents are down relative to last year, though violent crime in general is up. Last year, the city saw lower crime across the board than two or three decades ago, though, again, it’s now up relative to 2020. Is that what Caldwell meant? Or did he mean something broader?

If so, I’d be interested to know what numbers he’s looking at. Data released by the FBI on Wednesday suggested that violent crime nationally didn’t increase much in 2021 relative to 2020. That comports with recent figures from crime victimization data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), which indicated that reported violent crime was flat in 2021 and down from before the pandemic.

As I noted when those BJS numbers were released, discussion of crime in the United States is hampered by broadly inconsistent and uneven reporting of crime data. Some jurisdictions, like New York or Los Angeles (where violent crime is essentially flat, year-over-year) report data regularly. The national measure compiled by the FBI has seen declining participation (thanks in part to a change in what it collects) even as it operates at a substantial delay.

What’s left, then, is largely anecdotal. Stories of violent incidents, always catnip for newscasts, are used to portray a sense of crime that may or may not comport with reality. And Fox News has been very active in trying to portray exactly that sense.

*snip*

[CentralMass]

1. Things seemed to have gone downhill considerably in Portland.

[Nevilledog]

4. Anecdotal or other stats?

[CentralMass]

5. Both but we can start with some stats.

I'm on my phone and it has been a long day so I am just posting lonkd

https://www.koin.com/news/portland/portland-city-council-addresses-eye-popping-annual-crime-report/

https://www.oregonlive.com/homicides/

This is an old article from June but it discusses tge violent crime increase in Portland.

https://katu.com/news/local/portland-crime-stats-show-a-dramatic-rise-in-violent-crime-oregon-police

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/triaging-cops-combat-violent-crime-ranks-dwindle-88085402

Anecdotally just from occasion listening to or reading local news. Parts of the city have gone to hell. There are intersections that are taken over on Friday or Saturday night for stree racing (drifting) A young was killed a month or two ago while seating on a bench waiting for the bus after work when one of the cars lost control and crashed into her. There was a homeless guy riding his bike down the middle of the street towing a trailer behind him that was throwing bug rocks at windshield of oncoming cars. He was known to police from previous arrests and was arrested and let right back on bac street. There have been other notable violent crimes comitted where the invidusks were reoear iffenders and ket rught vack on tge street. It appears that the police, the courts abd the jails are all understaffed. Homeless is rampant in the city. There is trash and tent cities there and along the highway and some of the off ramps. Frankly the city government appears to be incapable if handling it.

[Nevilledog]

6. I'll look at those. Thanks.

I honestly don't know how you post on a phone. I'd go crazy!

[yardwork]

2. Every election cycle Republicans create fear about "crime."

The Republican propaganda is intended to frighten white suburban and rural voters into voting for Republicans. The propaganda has heavily racist overtones. It's designed to play on stereotype and fears. It works. We need to fight back.

[Brainfodder]

3. TFG ups the average crime rate quite a bit!?!

Fox has to scare the viewer, use that filter!