Reporters present ‘distorted picture’ of NZ women and crime

Media overemphasises serious crimes by women and treats Māori women differently, researcher says

New Zealand’s media typically presents biased and sensationalised portrayals of women who commit crimes, appearing to prefer “crime infotainment” over factual reporting of social trends, an Auckland academic has said.

Antje Deckert, a criminology lecturer at Auckland University of Technology, says NZ journalists also report differently on Māori and Pākehā [British or European heritage] women facing the courts on criminal charges.