Sihvart, Anneli2010-10-212010-10-212005http://hdl.handle.net/10062/15547The present research is determined to analyze journalistic discourse on crime reporting. The study includes three empirical parts: overview on crime reporting in the Estonian dailies in 2000-2001 plus continuing stories; two qualitative case studies and qualitatuve interviews with the people involved in the two reported crime cases. The research method has been triangulation: content analysis, discourse analysis and the analysis of the interviews. The sample of overview includes 111 cases. The sample od discourse analysis includes 19 texts (two cases). The main reseach question is: do the journalistic crime construction brake the presumption of innnosence and how do the people who are involved perceive journalistic publications. How do they feel about being information sources or news subjects? The database of 111 cases provides a clear understanding that more than half of the articles were published before the case has been taken to the court. H ence there is a high possibility to construct a quilt before a court has handled the case. The main result of the case studies is that journalsts are not able and do not evalute presumption of innosence while they decide when and how to report crime cases that are not reached to the court. They do not apply critical analysitical information processin but rather transmit the voices of their sources. Texts include personal prejudices of the journalists. The interviewees recognize themselves used by journalists according to the need for news production. Journalistic publications spoil relations between the community members. This aspect of the present research could be developed more in future studies.application/pdfH Social Sciences (General)magistritöödThesis