This article gives examples of a number of different violent crimes ranging from stabbings to homicides that occur through the use of Craigslist. The large number of people who use Craigslist( “50 million Americans each month) and the anonymity of the web allow these crimes to occur much easier over the internet then they would in person.
It seems that the internet is quickly becoming a breeding ground for criminals, whether they may murderers, rapists or thieves. Though social networking sites such as Myspace.com and Facebook.com seem to receive a majority of the news coverage. Though one reason that Craigslist may be more attractive then either of those two sites may have to do with the anonymity which perpetrators can have over the internet. Whether this is in the purchase or sale of an item or a Craigslist personal where someone with bad motives is able to lure unsuspecting victims into their trap. This is at least the way in which the media has chosen to exhibit internet crime. As Sacco notes “The transition from private troubles to public issues is not always a linear process since media interest in particular crime problems can vary in intensity or decline over time.”(Sacco, 150) The medias current interest in these kinds of internet crime may have something to do with how the internet is relatively new.
Though in the news article the CEO of Craigslist is quoted as saying “any misuse of Craigslist for crime is unacceptable” and that “exceedingly few” crimes are connected to the site used by 50 million Americans each month.” This tendency of the media to make relatively niche based crimes into larger “societal issues” which then have to be fixed society at large. In previous cases of crime relating to specific sites, the most well known being Myspace and the proliferation of child molesters on that site; there have been strong backlashes against the sites. Where at least Myspace has been stigmatized as being a hotbed of criminals and rapists. Though this is undoubtedly false, the very strong reaction to what was occurring in a few instances will mean that that stigma is there forever.
This seems to be contrary to how the media seems to act in nearly all other circumstances, that there is a general lack of true “investigative reporting.” That the discover of truth and of hidden crimes is not as much a part of a journalists job, instead they have to focus on articles that are more likely to bring about a certain amount of “shock value.” Though the journalists can’t be completely to blame for this as they are only focusing on their target audience. By confining themselves to areas where they have easier stories (as opposed to ones which involve a lot of time and research).