As a lover of crime dramas on television The Wire stands out to me as one of the greatest, its five series have entertained millions in the last 6 years and have been lauded with critical acclaim, all without a single actor gaining an Emmy. The series focuses around the downtown drug neighborhoods of Baltimore and the personalities within it. From the boys on the corner slinging vials of crack, to the mayor, to the chief editor of the local newspaper their stories are told in great detail and can be directly related to modern crime, media or political issues that are discussed in this course.

The aim of this blog is to address the topics discussed in the course by relating them to this series and how it is shown on screen and show modern day examples of this occurring in Australia or around the world.

Topics that will be discussed may include:

· The pressure of time constraints and reduced funding on journalist covering crime stories and the mistakes and decisions chosen (series 5)

· The demands of the mayor and other political figures on the hierarchy of the police to improve the statistics to improve image. (Throughout the 5 series)

· The interactions between the police on the street and the drug dealers themselves (throughout)

· The Media Representations of Imprisonment

· Media and the Courts

· Moral Panics

As the course continues there will be others discussed that can also be examined through the show, and others that may be unique which cannot.