THE PRESENTATION OF CRIME IN 43 MOVIES, 44 REPORTS, 76 NEWSCASTS, AND 3 DISCUSSIONS SHOWN ON THE 3 GERMAN TELEVISION CHANNELS WITHIN A 2 MONTHS' PERIOD WERE ANALYZED STATISTICALLY BY MEANS OF A STANDARDIZED REPORT FORM ADDRESSING SUCH FACTORS AS THE TYPE OF OFFENSE, THE METHOD OF THE CRIME, THE TYPE OF OFFENDER, THE TYPE OF VICTIM, THE SUCCESS OF POLICE EFFORTS, AND OFFENDER MOTIVATION. IT WAS FOUND THAT THE PRESENTATION OF CRIME ON TELEVISION HAS LITTLE AFFINITY WITH THE VIEWERS' ORDINARY LIFE SINCE IT FOCUSES ON VIOLENT CRIMES IN UPPER- AND UPPER-MIDDLE-CLASS ENVIRONMENTS. ALSO TELEVISION PRESENTS A VERY LIMITED SEGMENT OF AN OFFENSE (USUALLY THE SUCCESSFUL POLICE INVESTIGATION) WHICH DOES NOT CONVEY A REALISTIC IMPRESSION OF CRIME TO THE VIEWER. FOR INSTANCE, LESS SPECTACULAR OFFENSES, PROBLEMS OF CRIME PREVENTION, AND THE ORIGINS OF CRIME ARE NEGLECTED. THE SOCIAL BACKGROUND (ECONOMIC ASPECTS, STIGMATIZATION) OF A CRIME RECEIVES LITTLE EMPHASIS SINCE TELEVISION OFFENDERS USUALLY ACT FOR PERSONAL REASONS AND MOTIVES. MOREOVER, PROGRAMS INTENDED FOR A MINORITY OF VIEWERS (EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, LATE-NIGHT SHOWS) PRESENT A MORE REALISTIC AND DIFFERENTIATED VIEW THAN PROGRAMS DESTINED FOR A MASS AUDIENCE. SINCE INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIAL ATTITUDES TOWARDS CRIME ARE GREATLY INFLUENCED BY THE MASS MEDIA, THE STUDY SUGGESTS THE FOLLOWING IMPROVEMENTS IN CRIME PRESENTATION: EMPHASIS ON EVERYDAY CRIMINALITY (SMALL THEFT, TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS); HUMANIZATION, RATHER THAN STEREOTYPING, OF OFFENDERS; ANALYSIS OF THE CRIME'S SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUND; CONSIDERATION OF OFFENDER MOTIVATION; AND A CHANGE OF PERSPECTIVE FROM THE POLICE TO THE OFFENDER'S OR VICTIM'S POINT OF VIEW. THE STUDY CONTAINS DETAILED STATISTICAL CHARTS OF THE PROGRAMS AND AN EXTENSIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY. --IN GERMAN. (SAJ)