Murder in the Media: Prevalence in White-Collar Crime

• In Event: Poster Session

Abstract

This research focuses on the overly portrayed violent crimes prevalent in USA’s White Collar—a show supposedly centered on white-collar offenses. Analyses of all episodes in the shows six season run indicate an excessive amount of murder and attempted murder portrayals with approximately one-third of the White Collar episodes portraying murder and attempted murder. Comparisons to actual white-collar offenses are made to illustrate the divergence of fictional and reality in white-collar offending. While official statistics indicate that white-collar crimes such as medical malpractice or negligence, hazardous transportation, or environmental crimes are the most prevalent occurrences of white-collar crime leading to death, these themes are not widely explored by White Collar.

Authors

• Riley Maddox, Austin Peay State University

• Sarah Gwynne Whiteford, Austin Peay State University