This master’s thesis examines the influence of the media on the perception of crime in today’s society. It begins by outlining the transformations that media and journalism are undergoing. It then focuses on how various Slovenian media construct images of crime, drawing on findings from research on media coverage in Slovenia and the development and significance of news values in journalism. This is followed by a discussion of digitalization as a factor increasingly influencing the media landscape. It highlights the emergence of echo chambers and information bubbles as important negative consequences. It further analyses social media as an increasingly important source of information about crime. In the final section of the theoretical part of the Master's thesis, attention is paid to the demonization of female offenders - first through an overview of social stereotypes regarding gender roles, and then through the analysis of media emphasis such as sexuality, motherhood and the mythological dimension of female perpetrators. The empirical part includes a case study based on the theoretical background presented in the introductory chapters of the master thesis. The analysis focuses on a comparative examination of tabloid and serious media coverage, then examines the extent to which the reports follow journalistic values and, finally, how the media construct the image of the female offender. The aim of the thesis was to offer a new, comprehensive perspective on the role of the media in shaping the public's perception of crime. The key findings are that the media influence the social perception of reality by reporting on crime, a process further intensified by digitalization. In doing so, the media focus on specific groups of offenders, such as female perpetrators, which increases society's fear of them.
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