Jon Silverman has been Professor of Media and Criminal Justice at the University of Bedfordshire since July 2007. He is a leading criminal justice analyst and authority on international war crimes tribunals and from 1989-2002, was the BBC Home Affairs Correspondent. His earlier BBC career included a spell in Paris as a correspondent (1987-89) and at Westminster as a political correspondent. In 1996, he won the Sony Radio Gold Award for his reporting of war crimes issues on Radio 4.

• Preface 1. Introduction 2. The Media and the Punitive Gene 3. Politicians, Media and Judges 4. Protecting the Public or Protecting the Politicians 5. Home Secretaries Against the Home Office 6. In the Shadow of Number Ten 7. Addicted to Distortion: The Media and UK Drugs Policy 8. The Cannabis Conundrum 9. Police and the Media 10. A Changing Media – and a New Media 11. Terrorism and the Politics of Response 12. Conclusion. Appendix: List of Interviewees

'Although I don’t agree with all its conclusions, I respect Jon Silverman’s work. This is an interesting appraisal of an important area of our lives and our democracy.''Silverman challenges us to maintain the checks and balances of a civilised society, the debate that underpins it and, in spite of the inevitable noises from the media which challenge the establishment, to respond with thoughtfulness and balance.' – David Blunkett, MP 'Jon Silverman draws on his experience as a BBC correspondent to bring us this timely and thought-provoking book.''In Crime, Policy and the Media, Jon Silverman, Professor of Media and Criminal Justice at the University of Bedfordshire, and formerly the BBC's distinguished Home Affairs correspondent, shrewdly examines the media's influence (old and new) from 1989 and the first broadcasting of Sky News, to Labour's election defeat in 2010.''...Silverman successfully examines the interface between the media, politics and policy. The book is an essential read for students, scholars and practitioners alike. Although littered with academic references, it is not enough to thwart its appeal to a mainstream audience. Throughout, Silverman succeeds in unpicking "a complex melange of influences", which impact on policy making and "modern mediated governance."'-Tammy Ayres, University of Leicester, in The Howard Journal Vol 52 No 1 p115-116

Jon Silverman has been Professor of Media and Criminal Justice at the University of Bedfordshire since July 2007. He is a leading criminal justice analyst and authority on international war crimes tribunals and from 1989-2002, was the BBC Home Affairs Correspondent. His earlier BBC career included a spell in Paris as a correspondent (1987-89) and at Westminster as a political correspondent. In 1996, he won the Sony Radio Gold Award for his reporting of war crimes issues on Radio 4.

• Preface 1. Introduction 2. The Media and the Punitive Gene 3. Politicians, Media and Judges 4. Protecting the Public or Protecting the Politicians 5. Home Secretaries Against the Home Office 6. In the Shadow of Number Ten 7. Addicted to Distortion: The Media and UK Drugs Policy 8. The Cannabis Conundrum 9. Police and the Media 10. A Changing Media – and a New Media 11. Terrorism and the Politics of Response 12. Conclusion. Appendix: List of Interviewees

'Although I don’t agree with all its conclusions, I respect Jon Silverman’s work. This is an interesting appraisal of an important area of our lives and our democracy.''Silverman challenges us to maintain the checks and balances of a civilised society, the debate that underpins it and, in spite of the inevitable noises from the media which challenge the establishment, to respond with thoughtfulness and balance.' – David Blunkett, MP 'Jon Silverman draws on his experience as a BBC correspondent to bring us this timely and thought-provoking book.''In Crime, Policy and the Media, Jon Silverman, Professor of Media and Criminal Justice at the University of Bedfordshire, and formerly the BBC's distinguished Home Affairs correspondent, shrewdly examines the media's influence (old and new) from 1989 and the first broadcasting of Sky News, to Labour's election defeat in 2010.''...Silverman successfully examines the interface between the media, politics and policy. The book is an essential read for students, scholars and practitioners alike. Although littered with academic references, it is not enough to thwart its appeal to a mainstream audience. Throughout, Silverman succeeds in unpicking "a complex melange of influences", which impact on policy making and "modern mediated governance."'-Tammy Ayres, University of Leicester, in The Howard Journal Vol 52 No 1 p115-116

Jon Silverman has been Professor of Media and Criminal Justice at the University of Bedfordshire since July 2007. He is a leading criminal justice analyst and authority on international war crimes tribunals and from 1989-2002, was the BBC Home Affairs Correspondent. His earlier BBC career included a spell in Paris as a correspondent (1987-89) and at Westminster as a political correspondent. In 1996, he won the Sony Radio Gold Award for his reporting of war crimes issues on Radio 4.

• Preface 1. Introduction 2. The Media and the Punitive Gene 3. Politicians, Media and Judges 4. Protecting the Public or Protecting the Politicians 5. Home Secretaries Against the Home Office 6. In the Shadow of Number Ten 7. Addicted to Distortion: The Media and UK Drugs Policy 8. The Cannabis Conundrum 9. Police and the Media 10. A Changing Media – and a New Media 11. Terrorism and the Politics of Response 12. Conclusion. Appendix: List of Interviewees

'Although I don’t agree with all its conclusions, I respect Jon Silverman’s work. This is an interesting appraisal of an important area of our lives and our democracy.''Silverman challenges us to maintain the checks and balances of a civilised society, the debate that underpins it and, in spite of the inevitable noises from the media which challenge the establishment, to respond with thoughtfulness and balance.' – David Blunkett, MP 'Jon Silverman draws on his experience as a BBC correspondent to bring us this timely and thought-provoking book.''In Crime, Policy and the Media, Jon Silverman, Professor of Media and Criminal Justice at the University of Bedfordshire, and formerly the BBC's distinguished Home Affairs correspondent, shrewdly examines the media's influence (old and new) from 1989 and the first broadcasting of Sky News, to Labour's election defeat in 2010.''...Silverman successfully examines the interface between the media, politics and policy. The book is an essential read for students, scholars and practitioners alike. Although littered with academic references, it is not enough to thwart its appeal to a mainstream audience. Throughout, Silverman succeeds in unpicking "a complex melange of influences", which impact on policy making and "modern mediated governance."'-Tammy Ayres, University of Leicester, in The Howard Journal Vol 52 No 1 p115-116