Neighbourhood Stigmatization and Criminalization: Exploring the Impacts of Media Discoures on Disadvantaged Black Youth

• In Event: Crime News, Social Media, and Perceptions of Crime

Abstract

News discourses frequently focus on crime problems in disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods with large racialized populations. Studies of this coverage find that it disproportionately describes crimes involving Black suspects and Black victims, so-called ‘Black-on-Black’ violence. The effect of this coverage is to negatively stereotype public perceptions towards Black residents and their communities while also contributing to a favourable climate towards aggressive, police-led enforcement strategies. However, while much is known about the effects of news discourses on spatial stigma and neighbourhood reputations, less is known about how young people perceive the reputations held by their neighbourhoods and the resultant impacts on perceptions of community safety and social and spatial mobility. The present study explores these issues through the lens of a disadvantaged community in Toronto, Ontario, which has been the subject of considerable scrutiny related to gun and gang violence. The data include in-depth interviews with Black youths who reside in the neighbourhood and content analysis of crime-related media coverage of their community. Study findings discuss young people’s perceptions of media coverage of their neighbourhood and the result harms stemming from the stigma this has caused, including the perceived increase in police surveillance. Finally, implications for future research and policy are discussed.

Author

• Julius Haag, University of Toronto