Because media sources for crime news are not typically criminologists or those with knowledge on social-historical crime patterns, media stories often misinform readers and viewers. By framing crime and criminals in individualist and crisis-oriented terms, media-filtered knowledge contributes to a punitive, law and order response to crime by policymakers who see in the crime issue a way to capitalize on their popularity, future election, or continued time in office. Further, crimes making the news are quite different from those reporting to the police or experienced by victims. There is no relationship between the frequency of crimes reported to the police and the frequency of crime news stories. Links between crime news and viewer beliefs and attitudes about crime are difficult to establish. Likewise, links between mediated knowledge about crime and public policies toward crime have not been established. Examples are provided of different ways in which mediated understanding of crime can move a public policy agenda. 46 references and 12 notes