The crime beat has long been leveraged by American newsrooms to drive traffic, generate revenue, and fulfill the duty of informing the public. While the familiar narrative of perpetrators committing crimes consistently captures the public’s attention, these stories rarely produce the safer communities promised by being better-informed citizens, especially for the individuals and communities historically narrativized as criminals.
But some journalists are reframing their focus on policing to tell stories about public safety. And in turn, they’re undertaking the big task of rethinking the journalist’s role in shaping public perceptions of safety and the stories we tell about crime.
Join the Brown Institute for a discussion that rethinks what crime coverage can look like and how journalists can better create work that gives the public what it needs to know.
Featured Speakers
Kelly McBride, Poynter
Matt Stroud, Better Government Association
Chenjerai Kumanyika, UnCivil Podcast
Moderated by Todd Whitney, Brown Institute
Register at https://brwn.co/rethink-cov