Critics have contended that the news media sensationalizes crime stories to the point of causing exaggerated fears among the public and knee-jerk reactions among public policy makers. The article offers an analysis of this contention by focusing on four main complaints against the media in terms of crime coverage. Among these complaints is the assertion that the media violates the privacy rights of crime victims and defendants; that the news media encourages individuals to commit new crimes by sensationalizing current and past crimes; that the news media promotes overreactions by policymakers; and that the news media provides the public with a misleading perception of crime in America. The author, who is a member of the news media, addresses each contention in turn, defending the right of the news media to report on crimes. The author does acknowledge that the media may have some hand in promoting knee-jerk reactions to crime among public policy makers, but asserts that the media is not responsible for how public policy makers will react to their crime reporting. Crime is a major public health issue, and as such, deserves media coverage along with education, health care, the economy, and other important issues. After making his argument that news media coverage of crime in America is not as irresponsible as critics contend, the author acknowledges that there is room for improvement.