Inconsistent Role of the Media in Criminal Profiling in a Serial Murder Case

Abstract

An inspection of media articles about the Kobe serial murder case in 1997 suggests that the media may have several negative effects on criminal profiling in professional criminal investigations. The most worrying aspect of media responses to serious offending is the way they can shape social perception of a crime. In particular, the media focus on narrow aspects of a case and in so doing give a distorted picture of the criminal. Inspection of articles in some newspapers indicate that reporters see themselves as on-lookers rather than as professional investigative journalists. They cling to rumour and the tit-bits of information they can gather and are forced to enlarge them to make a story. By doing so they spread misleading and damaging information about a crime. In conclusion, it is argued that the way the media report serious crime, including serial murder, can be considered counter-productive to a criminal investigation.