This article explores the way two Melbourne daily newspapers reported the fatal police shooting of Graeme Jensen on 11 October 1988. In particular, the article examines how the newspapers dealt with reporting police suspicions about Graeme Jensen's involvement in criminal activities and the immediate circumstances of the shooting. It argues that information passed to the press by police was designed to present the shooting as the lawful and necessary killing of a dangerous criminal and thus maintain a positive police image. The newspapers assisted this process by uncritically reporting the police version of events and allegations about Graeme Jensen's involvement in crimes even when such information was contradicted by available evidence.
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