Abstract
Since it first aired in 2000, CSI has consistently been among the top-rated television programs in the United States. In this article, we analyze CSI's debut season and also include observations about the program today as well as its two spin-offs: CSI: NY and CSI: Miami. We are interested in the cultural meanings conveyed in this very popular forensic crime drama, especially in terms of the moral authority of the police and of science. We consider how CSI uses the conventions of the crime genre to assert the police as a moral authority. We also demonstrate how CSI portrays a sense of forensic realism, and, in so doing, asserts the veracity of science. We conclude with a discussion of what these meanings suggest about the legitimacy of policing and of science.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 67-81 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Crime, Media, Culture |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2007 |
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Keywords
- Moral authority
- Science
- Television crime genre
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Law
- Communication
- Cultural Studies
Cite this
CSI and moral authority : The police and science. / Cavender, Gray; Deutsch, Sarah K.
In: Crime, Media, Culture, Vol. 3, No. 1, 2007, p. 67-81.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - CSI and moral authority
T2 - The police and science
AU - Cavender, Gray
AU - Deutsch, Sarah K.
PY - 2007
Y1 - 2007
N2 - Since it first aired in 2000, CSI has consistently been among the top-rated television programs in the United States. In this article, we analyze CSI's debut season and also include observations about the program today as well as its two spin-offs: CSI: NY and CSI: Miami. We are interested in the cultural meanings conveyed in this very popular forensic crime drama, especially in terms of the moral authority of the police and of science. We consider how CSI uses the conventions of the crime genre to assert the police as a moral authority. We also demonstrate how CSI portrays a sense of forensic realism, and, in so doing, asserts the veracity of science. We conclude with a discussion of what these meanings suggest about the legitimacy of policing and of science.
AB - Since it first aired in 2000, CSI has consistently been among the top-rated television programs in the United States. In this article, we analyze CSI's debut season and also include observations about the program today as well as its two spin-offs: CSI: NY and CSI: Miami. We are interested in the cultural meanings conveyed in this very popular forensic crime drama, especially in terms of the moral authority of the police and of science. We consider how CSI uses the conventions of the crime genre to assert the police as a moral authority. We also demonstrate how CSI portrays a sense of forensic realism, and, in so doing, asserts the veracity of science. We conclude with a discussion of what these meanings suggest about the legitimacy of policing and of science.
KW - Moral authority
KW - Science
KW - Television crime genre
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=61149152568&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1741659007074449
DO - 10.1177/1741659007074449
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:61149152568
VL - 3
SP - 67
EP - 81
JO - Crime, Media, Culture
JF - Crime, Media, Culture
SN - 1741-6590
IS - 1
ER -