The U.S. is on course to end 2023 with one of the largest annual drops in homicides on record, according to preliminary figures from AH Datalytics, a data analysis firm.
Yet more than three-quarters (77%) of Americans believe crime has increased in the U.S. since last year.
Full story: Homicides in U.S. to drop by record numbers in 2023
Media is a much larger influence on public perception and opinion than most individuals in this country realize. In many ways, what we hear on the news every morning or see posted to social media on our phones is what we believe, even when there is no evidence to support these claims. Furthermore, we neglect to do our own research on the topics to support our own opinion. This article is describing how homicide rates have drastically dropped throughout 2023, however the public perception is that crime is at an all-time high, specifically murder. I can say that I have seen many news threads throughout the year describing a major increase in crime. Should we be holding these media companies accountable for delivering fake news?
Media has not only influenced the public’s perception by highlighting the bad news they are also based on algorithms. Therefore if an individual interacts with a post on crime which is most likely going to be the cause because posts are written in a way to obtain the audience’s attention they will continue to see news that pertains to high crime. Therefore information can be skewed seeing as the negative outweighs the positive even if that does not seem to be the case overall. For example, murder has seen a decrease in the U.S. in 2023 with a 12.8% decline, but there has been a spike in some cities such as Washington D.C., Memphis, and Dallas therefore there is a high probability that these incidents in these cities will be televised distracting the public from the overall statistics.
I agree with you Karson. Media plays a major role in how people perceive news and influence their opinions on a subject matter. While the homicide rate has dropped significantly people’s perceptions are still high. Why is that? Because the usage of social media and the influence of others influence opinions. Doing your own research is one of the only ways to not get influenced by false news. Why are Americans so influenced by others before doing their research? We Americans are some of the most easily influenced people in the world when it comes to news and other people’s opinions. It’s how the saying goes. We always have to be right.