Rob White Professor, School of Social Sciences, University of Tasmania Katrina Clifford Lecturer in Journalism, Media and Communications, University of Tasmania
In this book Clifford and White explore, in an accessible manner, the complexities of the relationship between crime, the media and justice. It offers a systematic, though by no means simplistic, analysis of this relationship, insisting that doing this demands both reflexivity and a willingness to expose and challenge the existing blind spots in media criminology. In so doing, this book establishes a coherent agenda for this area of analysis which not only fulfils its aims but also ensures that it will make a major contribution to the fi eld. It is a must-read for all those making claims on this increasingly important intellectual space. You will not be disappointed by the challenges you will face in reading it.For this reason alone I highly recommend it.- Sandra Walklate, Eleanor Rathbone Chair of Sociology, University of Liverpool, and conjoint Professor of Criminology, Monash University.Clifford and White's Media and Crime is a breakthrough book.It ranges across the ever-morphing mediascape in which contemporary crime and justice are embedded, exploring case studies from across the globe, and mixing theoretical and analytic sophistication with a keen eye for praxis. Just as importantly, the book moves beyond the disciplinary provincialism that oft en entraps analyses of media and crime to achieve an important, innovative synthesis: sociological and criminological perspectives integrated with those offered by journalistic and media studies. In this way Clifford and White's book not only maps the contours of contemporary media and crime; it writes a new map for their future study. - Jeff Ferrell, Professor of Sociology, Texas Christian University, and Visiting Professor of Criminology, University of KentThis is a fascinating book about the 'media-crime nexus'. As such, this is a greatly informative text that reminds us how much the media frame, inform and overshadow our everyday lives. But much more than this, the book illuminates the worlds of meaning that contemporary media present us with-whether truths or untruths, nuance or diktat. Making sense of media has never been more important and this book is an invaluable aid. - Nigel South, Professor of Sociology, University of Essex