Social Problems as Landmark Narratives: Bank of Boston, Mass Media and "Money Laundering"

Nichols, Lawrence T.

doi:10.2307/3097180

Cited by 30 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…The news media are invariably the primary means through which social problems are constructed, either by making claims directly (i.e., primary claimsmaking) or, more frequently, by reporting the claims made by others (i.e., secondary claimsmaking). Prior research findings have revealed that the “discovery” of a new crime problem is often triggered by the occurrence of a widely publicized event, or landmark narrative, which ultimately is used to define the essence of the problem (Adler, ; Chermak, ; Duwe, ; Nichols, ). When claimsmakers construct a social problem, they usually focus on describing the nature of the problem, how prevalent it is, and what can be done to control it.…”

Section: Mass Murder: Social Construction Of a “New” Crime Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns and prevalence of lethal mass violence

Duwe

2019

Criminology & Public Policy

101

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Research Summary: Mass shootings have been identified as a novel American crime problem. The term is merely a new name, however, for an older crime problem-mass murder. The social construction of the mass shooting and mass murder problems have both been driven by "mass public shootings"-incidents that occur in the absence of other criminal activity (e.g., robberies, drug deals, and gang "turf wars") in which a gun was used to kill four or more victims at a public location within a 24-hour period. Using data on 845 mass shootings, including 158 mass public shootings, which occurred in the United States between 1976 and 2018, in this study, I analyze trends in their prevalence and severity (i.e., number of victims killed and wounded). After controlling for growth in the U.S. population, the results show the late 1980s and early 1990s had the highest incidence of mass shootings. Both the incidence and severity of mass public shootings, on the other hand, have increased over the last decade. I also describe the patterns of mass public shootings by reporting incident and offender characteristics.Policy Implications: Despite the recent growth in mass public shootings, the infrequency with which they occur makes it very challenging to develop broad measures that will reduce their incidence or severity. It may therefore be more effective to focus on strategies that that have shown promise in decreasing violence in general.

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Section: Mass Murder: Social Construction Of a “New” Crime Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns and prevalence of lethal mass violence

Duwe

2019

Criminology & Public Policy

101

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“…However, there are scandalous exceptions, instances where individuals or organizations with good reputations stand revealed as involved in problematic behavior. Thus, Nichols (1997) examines how the Bank of Boston—a firm with a good reputation—became the typifying example for claims about money laundering. Although it was neither the first bank charged with money laundering nor the bank with the greatest number of questionable transactions, attention focused on the Bank of Boston precisely because it was newsworthy to hear that it was implicated in dubious practices.…”

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confidence: 99%

The Disadvantage of A Good Reputation: Disney as a Target for Social Problems Claims

Best

Lowney

2009

The Sociological Quarterly

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Social scientists generally presume that a good reputation has advantages. Yet the Walt Disney Corporation, a firm that has long benefited from a reputation for producing wholesome popular culture, attracts more than its share of efforts to link it to various social problems. In particular, conservative moralists argue that Disney in fact produces morally questionable products, progressive critics claim that Disney's messages help preserve social inequities, and social scientists criticize Disney for fostering inauthentic and alienating entertainment. These claims are a form of blowback—negative reactions to the firm's positive reputation. While blowback makes it easier to construct social problems claims, a good reputation remains a significant resource in deflecting these criticisms.

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“…For instance, the 1998 slaying of James Byrd in Jasper, Texas, is regarded by scholars as a national tragedy that pushed the topic of hate crime to the public forefront (Levin 1999;Bennett, Nolan, and Conti 2009;Turpin-Petrosino 2009). In the next chapter, I will present the Byrd murder and two other cases as 'landmark narratives (Nichols 1997)' of hate crime. Byrd, a 49-year-old disabled black man, was walking home from a friend's anniversary party when three white men in a pickup truck stopped to offer him a ride.…”

Section: Is This a Hate Crime?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For purposes of this research, I have singled out three hate crime cases that can be typified as landmark narratives. Before delving into those examples, it is important to understand the workings of a landmark narrative, a concept popularized by Nichols (1997) The extreme nature of this crime generated media buzz throughout West Virginia and the nation. It thrust an otherwise humdrum rural locale into the media spotlight.…”

Section: Three Landmark Narrativesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bias blindness: How police see and don't see hate crimes

Stump¹

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This study examines how police see and don't see hate crimes. Prior research has drawn mainly on the ambiguity of hate crime laws and definitions, as well as the struggles endured by law enforcement when investigating these cases. This thesis delves deeper into the issue by analyzing the forces that shape officers' perception of hate crimes and how they influence the way they identify, investigate and report bias-motivated incidents. This research focuses on a police force of a small municipality, of less than 75,000 people, located in a Mid-Atlantic state. An analysis of the department's police records and a focus group interview largely drive the findings of this research. Concepts including organizational norms, landmark narratives and classification of social problems are explored as factors that influence police handling of hate crimes. Findings illustrate that distinct properties must exist before police are likely to consider classifying a case a hate crime.

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Social Problems as Landmark Narratives: Bank of Boston, Mass Media and "Money Laundering"

Cited by 30 publications

References 10 publications

Patterns and prevalence of lethal mass violence

Patterns and prevalence of lethal mass violence

The Disadvantage of A Good Reputation: Disney as a Target for Social Problems Claims

Bias blindness: How police see and don't see hate crimes

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