Most television newscasts often relay crime stories with detailed descriptions and vivid images. Literally, the media set the agenda of what the audience should pay attention to and think about by selecting crime stories. The audiences...
moreMost television newscasts often relay crime stories with detailed descriptions and vivid images. Literally, the media set the agenda of what the audience should pay attention to and think about by selecting crime stories. The audiences are however not usually told how to think about those selected stories. This could mean that the degree to which exposure to televised crime news stories influences audience perception about crime is not explicit and therefore not clear. This study aimed at documenting audience perception of prevalent crime topics in televised news content, in order to infer the priming and framing tendencies of such news. This article presents results obtained from a qualitative study undertaken in Milimani geographical area of Nakuru town. The study was guided by McCombs and Shaw's Agenda Setting and Gerbner's Media Effects theories to collect and analyze data. The population comprised all categories of people residing, working or learning within Milimani area of Nakuru town. The total sample was 30 participants. The results show that audience perceive terror attacks, murder, carjacking, sexual violence, burglary, street muggings, violent robbery and abductions as prevalent crime topics in televised news in Kenya. The participants however indicated that the agenda setting dimensions of priming and framing, which have been described as having strong sociological roots, determined how such news topics are selected and relayed in televised crime news. This is an indicator that priming and framing is utilized in the preparation and presentation of televised crime news, which in turn determine the amount of audience following and focusing. Consequently, this affirms the influence of televised news bulletins on audience perception of social issues, and in the process, they influence the audience with what to think about because of the emotions they evoke.
