The informative and quantitative dimensions of press crime coverage are examined, including the categories of crime covered, types of facts presented, and amount of coverage. It is shown that crime coverage does not account for a large proportion of all news coverage, that most articles are short and focus on criminal incidents and police intervention, and that only 12 percent of articles deal with crimes that have been solved. The narrative style and structure and thematic fields of press crime coverage are examined, and it is concluded that such coverage offers little useful public information or exciting and substantive reading. Practical organizational factors shaping the action of the press and the interaction of press and public are considered with a focus on the reader's own reality and crime journalism as a social phenomenon. 30 references. (Publisher abstract modified)