Cable news continues to undercover data showing crime rates are falling

Following yet another FBI report showing there has been a national drop in violent and property crime rates, Fox undercovered the news, instead spreading the right-wing narrative that FBI statistics are incorrect and that people should “walk outside and use your eyes.” The network spent only 5 minutes on the FBI report in the week following its release. Mainstream cable networks MSNBC and CNN did not perform significantly better, covering the report for just 11 minutes and 9 minutes, respectively. 

FBI reporting shows that murder dropped in Q1 of 2024, continuing the trend from 2023

On June 10, the bureau released the FBI quarterly crime report data for Q1, which showed a significant drop in violent crime and property crime. While this report is not conclusive, the findings suggest a 26% drop in murders, a nearly 18% drop in robberies, and 15% drop in overall violent crime in the first quarter of 2024, compared to the same period in 2023. [CBS, 6/11/24]

This latest data from the FBI follows the post-pandemic trend of lowering crime rates. Preliminary data from the FBI suggests that in 2023, crime rates dropped across the country from 2022 levels, including a 13% decline in murder. [MSNBC, 3/19/24]