Examining the Influence of Crime Media on Jurors’ Perception of Cross-Race Eyewitness Testimony

Abstract

Eyewitness misidentification is a leading cause of wrongful convictions. One well-established contributor to identification errors is the cross-race effect (CRE), the tendency for eyewitnesses to be less accurate when identifying individuals of a different race than their own. Despite robust research documenting the CRE’s detriment to identification accuracy, jurors often remain insensitive to cross-race dynamics when evaluating eyewitness reliability. One possible explanation for this is a CSI-effect-like mechanism, whereby frequent crime media exposure (e.g., television shows, documentaries, podcasts, etc.) inflates jurors’ trust in the reliability of eyewitness identification evidence. The present study sought to test this explanation. Mock jurors were randomly assigned to read a fictitious trial transcript featuring a same- or cross-race identification before rendering a verdict decision, rating their perceptions of the eyewitness and defendant, and reporting their consumption of various forms of crime media. Results revealed that exposure to crime documentaries and podcasts significantly predicted perceptions of eyewitness credibility and accuracy, while exposure to crime news and dramas showed mixed effects on perception ratings. Identification type (same- vs. cross-race) did not significantly predict jurors' perceptions of eyewitness credibility or accuracy. Furthermore, exposure to crime documentaries and news significantly predicted guilt ratings. These findings suggest that certain genres of crime media may shape jurors’ perceptions of eyewitnesses' credibility and accuracy but may not impact final verdict outcomes or have differential influence in same- vs. cross-race contexts. 

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