Boston Marathon Bombings and Predatory Criminality in Media
This paper explores how the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings were framed by news and social media through the lens of "predatory criminality" — a concept drawn from Ray Surette's work on media, crime, and criminal justice. The paper argues that media coverage portrayed the Tsarnaev brothers as inherently evil deviants driven by irrational urges, consistent with the psychological theory of criminality. This framing entertained and absolved the public of responsibility, used victims instrumentally for sensationalism, and cast law enforcement as heroic figures. The conclusion reinforces how predatory criminality narratives serve commercial, emotional, and social functions for media outlets and their audiences.
- Introduction: Predatory Criminality in Media: Introduces predatory criminality theme in modern media
- Defining Predatory Criminality: Defines predatory criminality and its media appeal
- The Boston Marathon Bombings as a Case Study: Describes bombings and media frenzy that followed
- Psychological Theory of Criminality Applied: Applies psychological deviance theory to bombing coverage
- Conclusion: Summarizes predatory criminality framework and its social functions
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What makes this paper effective
- Consistently ties a concrete real-world event (the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings) back to the theoretical framework of predatory criminality, demonstrating applied critical analysis.
- Clearly identifies multiple stakeholders — media, public, victims, law enforcement — and explains how the predatory criminality narrative serves each group's interests differently.
- Uses direct, confident language that maintains an analytical tone while remaining accessible to a general academic audience.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates the technique of applying a theoretical framework (Surette's predatory criminality and psychological theory of criminality) to a specific empirical case. Rather than simply summarizing theory or summarizing the event, it uses each to illuminate the other — a standard and effective method in criminology and media studies essays.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a brief framing introduction, then defines predatory criminality using source material, applies the concept to the Boston Marathon Bombings, deepens the analysis through the psychological theory of criminality, and closes with a summary conclusion that restates all major claims. The structure is tight and well-suited to a short analytical essay format.
Introduction: Predatory Criminality in Media
"Predatory criminality" is a popular theme in modern news media and social media, rooted in the psychological theory of criminality. The inherently evil criminal is portrayed as deviant and separate from society. This framing entertains the public while absolving them of any guilt and encouraging them to cheer when the heroes defeat the villains. The Boston Marathon Bombings are a compelling example of both predatory criminality and the psychological theory of criminality as they play out in media coverage.
Defining Predatory Criminality
"Predatory criminality" involves criminals who are driven by animal urges and cravings, who are illogical and essentially evil, and who commit violent, dramatic, and irrational crimes (Surette, 2015, p. 60). The media tends to focus on this type of criminality because the public is fascinated by it and because it makes the crime appear to stem entirely from the individual criminal's deficiencies, absolving society of any responsibility (Surette, 2015, pp. 61–62). The individual and his or her terrible criminal acts seem to appear out of nowhere, with no connection to broader social behavior or conditions.
This framing allows the media to benefit from the public's intense interest while enabling the public and society to condemn and severely punish the criminal without sharing any responsibility for the situation or feeling guilt for that condemnation (Surette, 2015, p. 62). The victims of such crimes are used to illustrate victimization and are then largely ignored (Surette, 2015, p. 63). Media attention instead concentrates on the hero-villain contest in which the good guys — usually law enforcement — capture or, better yet, kill the villainous criminal.
References
NBCUniversal Media, LLC. (2013, April 15). Two bombs explode at Boston Marathon. Retrieved from highered.nbclearn.com.
Surette, R. (2015). Media, crime and criminal justice: Images, realities and policies (5th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
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