The Effects of Online Reader Comments on Crime News

• In Event: The Internet and Perceptions of Crime and Justice

Abstract

I draw upon two sources of original data to describe the nature of punishment in the growing field of online crime reporting, which is the process of publishing criminal data on websites and social media platforms. I present results from a mixed methods study, first through qualitative evidence of online comment boards and interview testimony, legal filings, and personal correspondence between crime website administrators and readers. These data show repeated instances of the negative effects of unofficial, online criminal histories easily obtained through a Google search. Then, I empirically analyze the effects of this reporting on broader public opinion through an online news-reading experiment. Respondents were randomly assigned to one of four versions of an online news story that differed by the race of the suspect and the presence or absence of comments written by other readers. These reader comments mimic the social experience of digital crime reporting (specifically, archived commentary by other concerned citizens). I ask if this social media experience changes readers’ perceptions and concerns about crime. Simply, if a person now knows that other readers are outwardly worried about crime (and say so online) – do they become more worried as well?

Author

• Sarah Lageson, University of Minnesota