Between 2007 and 2011, the number of registered juvenile suspects declined by 44 percent, but the Dutch public did not feel any safer. In this research, we study media coverage of youth crime and interview journalists and their sources in order to investigate the relationship between journalists, their sources, and the possible effects on the public with respect to fear of crime. We find an overrepresentation of youth crime in news coverage, especially in the popular press, and a stronger episodic focus over time. All media focus increasingly on powerful sources that focus on repressive framing, but this is especially found in the elite press. We conclude that news coverage in all media groups, although in different ways, does contribute to the fear of crime in society and the idea that repressive measures are needed. The fact that this fear of crime is also caused by news coverage is acknowledged, but neither journalists nor politicians are able or willing to change this.

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Qualitative framing research as a means for enhancing persuasive powers in advertising and information for the general public Qualitative framing research as a means for enhancing persuasive powers in advertising and information for the general public Identifying and listing frames in the public domain often leads to qualitative research methods. The challenge for this qualitative inductive framing research is to picture reality as realistically as possible. A more varied range of data collection methods, specific interpretation schemes and reliability tests are effective instruments to achieve broader and more accurate results.