Does the General Public Have an Understanding of White-Collar Crime?
Media’s effect on Attitudes Towards White-Collar Criminals
ABSTRACT
This study aims to examine the strong correlation between media outlets such as television, movies, and social media and the current climate towards white-collar criminals. The courts’ leniency towards the perpetrators of these crimes has become a real issue recognized alongside other societal battles. The tolerance to these crimes in comparison to those such as murder, assault and even terrorism is uncanny. This study was aimed at a random mixture of individuals with varying levels of education, including both genders, and a variety of ages. Each individual polled was asked to provide demographic information such as age, higher-education class ranking, and gender. The goal was to use 35 people at random in order to mimic a much larger sample including differing demographic qualities.
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INTRODUCTION
It has been common knowledge for some time that the media has had a astounding influence on the masses. The general population often will more readily accept things as fact consumed from a medium such as television, movies, or social media. This phenomenon paired with media coverage of white-collar crime has led some to believe that the movies and television tend to glorify these criminals. Therefore, this approach to this study is both predictive and exploratory. The study will explore the way different demographic groups consume media about white-collar crime and aim to predict trends in participants’ media consumption. The news can tend to focus on the wrong aspects of these crimes. Throughout media history, trends have shown that coverage of white-collar crime tends to focus on the individual, rather than the institution or corporation. Though the coverage may begin on an institutional level, it eventually drifts to coverage of the individual. High-profile individuals make for great news stories, which in turn shifts media coverage towards a focus on ratings instead of the damaging nature of these crimes. This type of media coverage through the mentioned mediums can dilute the real facts about white-collar crime. Mass media could find a more constructive way to produce social awareness of these crimes in order to better the understanding of white-collar crime.
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Literature Review
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DEFINING WHITE-COLLAR CRIME
To understand the difficulty behind arresting white-collar criminals, Samuel Buell defines these crimes by writing; “White-collar crimes typically take place in benign social settings in which the only difference between crime and commerce may be the defendant’s state of mind. For example, to commit fraud is to do a usually innocuous act—such as to make a representation of fact in a business transaction—with a prohibited state of mind, namely, the specific intent to defraud the counterparty.” (Buell, 2014). Success in the prosecution of white-collar criminals is muddied by the series of loopholes and possible defenses for these criminal actions. One may wonder what drives someone into committing a crime of this nature. “The motivation for fraud is associated with an illegal quest for profit or property or other personal or organizational gain.” (Cedric, 2016).
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MEDIA COVERAGE
One might hypothesize that due to these economic interests, the media works overtime in order to change the focus of stories detailing white-collar crime from the corporation to that of the individual in order to protect said interests. This phenomenon was first brought to light in the Washington Post in 2004, after an influx of accounting scandals damaged businesses nationwide. “The scandals provoked broad speculation concerning the nature of corporate crime as pundits debated the merits of a “bad apple theory” emphasizing individual culpability rather than endemic corruption.” (Benediktsson, 2010). The “bad apple theory” entertains the notion that mass media tends to put the emphasis on an individual figurehead as a substitute for corporate wide responsibility. Mass media also seems to sensationalize the story once it has shifted away from the corporation and onto the individual. As stated above, high profile stories sell in movies, television, and in newspapers. Once again, it becomes a focus on ratings and the damaging nature of the crime becomes lost in translation. There is a clear symbiotic relationship connecting popular culture and entertaining movies. “Put more directly, a shared popular culture is what enables people to make sense of their lives and their world.” (Moohr, 2015).
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THE BELFORT EFFECT
A recent and relevant example of this phenomenon can be found within the story of Stratton Oakmont; a corporation led by the infamous Jordan Belfort. Media coverage of Stratton Oakmont and companies who have committed similar offenses are almost non-existent. Countless research efforts to uncover front-page examples or headlines detailing white-collar crime have turned back almost no results. The reality is that before Hollywood brought Belfort’s story to the big screen, the general public was unaware of his very existence. Today, Belfort is known throughout the world as the “Wolf of Wall Street” for his involvement in perhaps the most well known white-collar crime scandal ever. He was arrested for crimes involving money laundering, securities fraud, and stock market manipulation.
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WHY IT MATTERS?
The main point of the research is to figure out if the portrayal of white-collar criminals in the media paints them as the lesser evil amongst other criminals. Do all of the same harmful components of the immediate violent crime of robbery exist within the white-collar sense as well? A simple four-step process catalogs the violent acts committed by the perpetrator, the victim, and the state. “Force, physicality, and contact are violent processes. Not every step need be violent. Consider the mob boss who orders the murder of a snitch. Nothing could be less violent than the order, but the later steps are manifestly violent.” (Verstein 2014). This ideology lends credibility to his next point, which states, that the violent result for the victim is a second way in which an act may be violent, apart from the relative violence of the process. (Verstein, 2014). Some may argue the validity of this statement questioning whether or not the term “violence” can actually cover this wide range of actions. However, there is a clear connection after he begins detailing the impact of these actions on their victims. “When people are victims of violence, they are invited to violence themselves”. (Verstein, 2014). Meaning that by committing an act of violence, one is possibly introducing violence into the life of a once passive person, leaving the victim with no choice other than to retaliate with similar actions. Similarly, it is shown that the state or government must now suppress the perpetrators of the crime in order to bring justice for all, finally, forcing the law to act out of violence. The reason for introducing this “snowball effect” of sorts is to prove that the same theory holds true with violations in the white-collar world. In an attempt to provide an example of this snowball effect, in which the initial action is a white-collar offense, Verstein chooses to use fraud or mortgage foreclosure. He presents the violent repercussions stemming from mortgage foreclosure using the “snowball effect” scenario. Assuming that our understanding of violence holds true with the previously stated example of the mob boss, it is safe to say that we are comfortable in finding violent processes where the initial criminal act is not inherently violent. Verstein makes draws on the fact that fraud leading to mortgage foreclosure could produce the same results as the mob boss’s orders. He explains that common sense should tell us that fraudulent acts could lead to stripping victims of their money, shelter, food, and worse. In order to further highlight these issues and other violence that could arise from fraudulence Verstein writes, “It is not just money and shelter that white-collar crime can take. Many white-collar offenses (environmental pollution, Medicare fraud) result in much more extensive physical harm than street crimes. To pollution-caused illness and deprivation of medicine, we might add the injuries incurred by breach of safety regulations, the sicknesses incurred by fraud as to product safety. These white-collar offense may not involve force, but they have a result that is as physical and, well, as violent as any traditional violent crime.” (Verstein, 2014). It is from this statement that the reader is able to draw a connection between the second step of the “snowball effect”, regarding the victim’s response to the initial act. In fact, at this point of the process, it is believed that the response to the initial white-collar crime is worse than if the initial crime were a physical and forceful act. Verstein references situations in which victims of fraud have staged violent home defenses in the face of foreclosure or eviction. In order to give further explanation of the societal effects of white-collar crimes, he highlights a statistic that shows for every three foreclosures, violence goes up by 7% in the immediate neighborhood.
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RESEARCH QUESTION
When interpreting the literature, it becomes apparent that media coverage ranging from movies, television, and social media can have an impact on the way white-collar crime is perceived. Verstein even went as far as to give detailed explanations on his feelings towards the seriousness of white-collar crime. When reviewing the given literature, the question begs, does the general public have an understanding of white-collar crime? Is the media portraying this issue in a light that is educational in nature? Has media tainted the mass public’s perception of white-collar crime, or has media done a proper job of highlighting the true nature of these crimes?
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METHODOLOGY
Quantitative study can be explained as the statistical, mathematical, or numerical analysis of collected data. To determine if there is a correlation between media consumption and the climate towards white-collar criminals, statistics can help reveal numerical similarities between inferences drawn about white-collar crime, and types of media consumption. The method used in order to obtain the data for this study was a survey questionnaire distributed to 35 people. The survey was given through a program called Qualtrics. The program utilizes software to enable users to conduct private surveys and quickly gather the feedback into a well-organized data collection. The questionnaire aimed to find answers to questions regarding education level, age, gender, media consumption, and knowledge/attitude of and towards white-collar crime.
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SAMPLING
The participants in this specific survey were chosen through convenience sampling. The researcher created the survey and distributed through the social media website Twitter. Since the purpose of the survey was to mirror a much larger poll with mixed demographics, Twitter provided the perfect medium to get a random sample. The 35 people polled in this sample were able to remain anonymous through the Qualtrics research platform.
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DATA ANALYSIS
After the distribution, the answers were collected and analyzed within the Qualtrics system. The software uses its free services to group the answers from the survey into bar graphs. The demographical questions were grouped into age, class rank, and gender. Other questions contained in the survey deal with an overall understanding of white-collar crime. The questions all are based off of common knowledge and do not require a detailed understanding of white-collar crime. The questions were created so that even participants with little to no understanding of white-collar crime could answer in confidence.
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FINDING
Out of the 35 participants 3 were Sophomores, 6 were Juniors, 11 were Seniors, 14 were college graduates, and 1 had no college education. Within the sample, 80% of which were in the 18-24 age range, 11% were in the 25-34 age range, and 9% were in the 35+ age range. Of the 35 participants polled, 57% were male and 43% were female. All of the participants were informed about the nature of the survey and what the data would be used for via Twitter.
The first and most important question on the survey asked whether or not the participant has an understanding of white-collar crime itself. 76% of the participants answered that they either “somewhat agree, agree, or strongly agree”. Interestingly enough, over 50% of the participants also answered that they “somewhat agree” or “agree” on the fact that their knowledge of white-college crime stems from television, movies, or another form of mass media. This finding would statistically prove that exactly half of the participants agree that the primary source of their education stems from the media and not from the classroom or independent research. 20% of the sample answered that they neither agree nor disagree. When drawing inferences about the findings, it is perceivable to believe that that 20% of the sample answered that way because they could not remember where they learned any of the information they know. Humans consume an overwhelming amount of media every day. With such high levels of consumptions, it could be much harder to remember the source of the information.
The majority of people polled in the survey (75%) somewhat agreed, agreed, or strongly agreed that they felt as though they had a complete understand of at least one white-collar crime and the sentencing that resulted from it. 87% of the sample also either somewhat agreed, agreed, or strongly agreed that the movies portraying criminals of that nature tended to glorify the crimes and criminals. The positive correlation between an understanding of white-collar crime and media’s glorification of them suggests that the participants do understand how damaging white-collar crime can be.
When given the statement, “It is believed that white-collar criminals get off too easy. However, I believe that white-collar criminals are punished justly”, at least 65% of people were comfortable disagreeing to some extent. This data suggests that our participants do in fact have a general knowledge of white-collar crime as referred to in question number one and the question referred to at the beginning of the previous paragraph.
The final question asked in the survey served to be very indicative of the climate towards white-collar crime. The statement, “I could/should gain a better understanding of white-collar crime” was either somewhat agreed, agreed, or strongly agreed upon by 87% of the polled participants. Even though the participants did in fact display a general knowledge of white-collar crime or higher, they all felt as though there was more to be learned of white-collar crime. This statistic in specific is evidence that white-collar crime has yet to be covered by the media in an effective way that helps to educate viewers on the topic.
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CONCLUSION
The overall purpose of this study was to determine the mass media’s affect on the way white-collar crime is perceived by the general public. The study was successful in answering real questions about the media’s portrayal of white-collar crime. The findings suggested that even though the media can play a huge role in tainting the real facts about white-collar crime, it has yet to desensitize the general public. The participants were still able to differentiate between what was a faux media perception of white-collar crime and how damaging the crimes can be. The studies showed that no matter how which way the media portrayed the rich lives of such criminals and sometimes made it seem appealing; the public was still able to understand right from wrong. The results of the survey did not reflect the researchers initial prediction. Initially the researcher predicted that the media had tainted and desensitized its consumers by making light of these serious crimes for a Hollywood payoff.
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LIMITATION
The biggest limitation in the study was the small size of the sample group at only 35 participants. The small sample group definitely limits the real representation of a much larger group with various demographics. A larger sample size would have been more representative of the actual general public throughout America. The survey also was handed out only a few days before the data analysis was due.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
The number one recommendation to be made for future research on this topic or any would be to distribute the survey to a much larger audience or very specific individuals. At the beginning, it was believed that distributing the link to the survey via Twitter would allow for a varying demographic to participate. However, social media serves as a forum to a mostly younger demographic. In order to assure that the demographic was larger and more random in the future, it would be more beneficial to use a different medium for distribution. Either handpicking candidates of all different age ranges, races, genders, and education levels or using a much larger scale would have made for much better data. Overall, the survey did present answers to the questions and show positive correlations between statements already believed to have been connected.
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Appendix
(1) I am a…
Answer % Count
Freshman 0.00% 0
Sophomore 8.57% 3
Junior 17.14% 6
Senior 31.43% 11
Graduate 40.00% 14
No College Education 2.86% 1
(2) I am ..
Answer % Count
18-24 80.00% 28
25-34 11.43% 4
35+ 8.57% 3
(3) I am a…
Male 57.14% 20
Female 42.86% 15
Q1 - I have an understanding of what White-Collar Crime is.
Answer
%
Count
Strongly Disagree
5.88%
2
Somewhat disagree
14.71%
5
Neither agree nor disagree
2.94%
1
Somewhat agree
20.59%
7
Agree
41.18%
14
Strongly agree
14.71%
5
Q2 - It is believed by some that White-Collar Criminals get off too easy. However, I believe that White-Collar Criminals are punished justly.
Answer
%
Count
Strongly Disagree
11.76%
4
Disagree
20.59%
7
Somewhat disagree
32.35%
11
Neither agree nor disagree
14.71%
5
Somewhat agree
17.65%
6
Agree
2.94%
1
Strongly agree
0.00%
0
Q3 - The sentencing for White-Collar Criminals will deter them from committing the same crimes again.
Answer
%
Count
Strongly Disagree
20.59%
7
Disagree
14.71%
5
Somewhat disagree
20.59%
7
Neither agree nor disagree
8.82%
3
Somewhat agree
20.59%
7
Agree
14.71%
5
Strongly agree
0.00%
0
Q4 - I learned what I know about White-Collar Crime through movies, television, or media.
Answer
%
Count
Strongly Disagree
8.82%
3
Disagree
8.82%
3
Somewhat disagree
2.94%
1
Neither agree nor disagree
17.65%
6
Somewhat agree
14.71%
5
Agree
47.06%
16
Strongly agree
0.00%
0
Q5 - White-Collar Crime can have serious effects on the communities around them.
Answer
%
Count
Strongly Disagree
5.88%
2
Disagree
2.94%
1
Somewhat disagree
0.00%
0
Neither agree nor disagree
5.88%
2
Somewhat agree
29.41%
10
Agree
41.18%
14
Strongly agree
14.71%
5
Q6 - White-Collar Criminals share a common attitude and demeanor.
Answer
%
Count
Strongly Disagree
5.88%
2
Disagree
5.88%
2
Somewhat disagree
5.88%
2
Neither agree nor disagree
26.47%
9
Somewhat agree
26.47%
9
Agree
23.53%
8
Strongly agree
5.88%
2
Q7 - White-Collar Crime should be considered non-violent.
Answer
%
Count
Strongly Disagree
11.76%
4
Disagree
23.53%
8
Somewhat disagree
5.88%
2
Neither agree nor disagree
23.53%
8
Somewhat agree
26.47%
9
Agree
8.82%
3
Strongly agree
0.00%
0
Q8 - Movies portraying White-Collar criminals such as "Wolf of Wall Street" glorify such crimes.
Answer
%
Count
Strongly Disagree
6.06%
2
Disagree
3.03%
1
Somewhat disagree
0.00%
0
Neither agree nor disagree
3.03%
1
Somewhat agree
6.06%
2
Agree
33.33%
11
Strongly agree
48.48%
16
Q9 - I have a complete understanding of at least one White-Collar crime and the criminal sentencing that resulted from it. (Jordan Belfort, Bernie Madoff, etc.)
Answer
%
Count
Strongly Disagree
6.06%
2
Disagree
3.03%
1
Somewhat disagree
6.06%
2
Neither agree nor disagree
9.09%
3
Somewhat agree
12.12%
4
Agree
42.42%
14
Strongly agree
21.21%
7
Q10 - I could/should gain a better understanding of white-collar crime.
Answer
%
Count
Strongly Disagree
6.45%
2
Disagree
3.23%
1
Somewhat disagree
3.23%
1
Neither agree nor disagree
0.00%
0
Somewhat agree
25.81%
8
Agree
41.94%
13
Strongly agree
19.35%
6
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