Media and Criminal Investigation

Media and Criminal Investigation

Media handling in serious crime investigations is a complex issue. On the one hand, the media can be an important mechanism for generating valuable information from the general public. On the other hand, dealing with the media can take up valuable time and resources during the critical early stages of an investigation. Consequently, media handling has been acknowledged as a critical skill of the Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) (Holmes 2009). 

The report summarises the findings of interviews with SIOs and media liaison officers on media handling issues in sixteen investigations of murder and sexual assault. It examines general issues around the management of media interest in serious crime investigations; the disclosure and acquisition of information via the media; general relations with the press, victims, victims' relatives and communities; and personnel issues in media handling. 

Managing media interest 

Media interest in serious crimes In general, investigations into serious crime such as murder and rape attract a substantial amount of press interest, particularly in the first few days of an enquiry. Thereafter, interest will tend to diminish although some particularly newsworthy offences will sustain national media interest for some time. The factors that determine the level of press interest will vary from case to case and depend partly upon the coverage of other news events. For the cases examined, the age and background of the victim and location of the offence were most frequently perceived as influencing the level of media coverage. Not all offences, however, attract the desired level of press interest, and in these cases the challenge for any strategy is to gain and enhance media coverage. (Walters 2006 )

The demands on the investigation

Where press interest is high, one of the main problems arising from media handling in serious crime investigations is the demands placed on the resources of the investigative team. Most SIOs estimated that they spent between 20 and 40 per cent of their time dealing with the media in the first two days of an enquiry. 

The disclosure of information

Investigations have to effectively resolve tensions around the hold-back or disclosure of information about the offence. The investigative team's judgement about whether or not to disclose a piece of information should be influenced by a mature assessment of the likely consequences of that decision. In certain instances, providing more detailed information to the general public can increase the likelihood of generating additional valuable information(Rosenbaum 2000). 

The timing of disclosed information

Interviewees placed particular importance on when initial contact is made with the press, and the timing of subsequent press releases and press conferences. Getting information out allowed the investigation to take the lead in press handling at an early stage, while allowing the rest of the investigation to progress. Furthermore, it was argued that early initial communication with the press limits the degree to which they formulate their own accounts of what happened and begin their own 'investigations'(Raskin 2009). 

The objectives of media appeals

Finding 'unknowing witnesses' was the most frequently stated objective for press ...