Mob Mentality: How the Media Shapes Societal Perspectives of the Mafia
Faculty Mentor Name
Dr. Laura Gutierrez
Research or Creativity Area
Social Sciences
Abstract
This project examines how media depictions of the Mafia have shaped societal perceptions of organized crime. While Mafia films are central to United States popular culture, little research has analyzed how these narratives influenced crime reporting. This study addresses that gap through a case study of The Godfather. This project was presented in part with the Council on Undergraduate Research STR program. This program is focused on the importance of research in policy making. Meeting with individuals working in Congress demonstrated the many elements involved in creating and advocating for policy.
Through archival research, newspaper articles were coded as positive, neutral, or negative and divided into three periods: before the novel’s publication, after the novel, and after the first film. This design enabled statistical comparisons using chi-square tests and Kendall’s tau-c correlations. Articles were identified using the search term “Mafia,” chosen as the most widely recognized label for the Cosa Nostra. To produce a balanced dataset, one year of articles prior to the novel and three months following both the novel and the film were coded. From more than 5,000 identified articles, duplicates and unrelated pieces were removed, leaving over 700 articles from New York State publications for analysis.
Findings reveal notable shifts in representation. Pearson chi-square tests show both the novel and film corresponded with statistically significant differences in reporting compared to pre-novel coverage. Kendall’s tau-c correlations revealed weak but positive relationships. Raw data indicated fewer negative portrayals and more neutral ones, with a modest rise in positive portrayals after the novel but a slight decline after the film. No significant difference was found between post-novel and post-film reporting, suggesting that the medium itself did not determine outcomes.
Overall, the findings suggest entertainment media shifted Mafia coverage from predominantly negative portrayals to more neutral representations.
Mob Mentality: How the Media Shapes Societal Perspectives of the Mafia
This project examines how media depictions of the Mafia have shaped societal perceptions of organized crime. While Mafia films are central to United States popular culture, little research has analyzed how these narratives influenced crime reporting. This study addresses that gap through a case study of The Godfather. This project was presented in part with the Council on Undergraduate Research STR program. This program is focused on the importance of research in policy making. Meeting with individuals working in Congress demonstrated the many elements involved in creating and advocating for policy.
Through archival research, newspaper articles were coded as positive, neutral, or negative and divided into three periods: before the novel’s publication, after the novel, and after the first film. This design enabled statistical comparisons using chi-square tests and Kendall’s tau-c correlations. Articles were identified using the search term “Mafia,” chosen as the most widely recognized label for the Cosa Nostra. To produce a balanced dataset, one year of articles prior to the novel and three months following both the novel and the film were coded. From more than 5,000 identified articles, duplicates and unrelated pieces were removed, leaving over 700 articles from New York State publications for analysis.
Findings reveal notable shifts in representation. Pearson chi-square tests show both the novel and film corresponded with statistically significant differences in reporting compared to pre-novel coverage. Kendall’s tau-c correlations revealed weak but positive relationships. Raw data indicated fewer negative portrayals and more neutral ones, with a modest rise in positive portrayals after the novel but a slight decline after the film. No significant difference was found between post-novel and post-film reporting, suggesting that the medium itself did not determine outcomes.
Overall, the findings suggest entertainment media shifted Mafia coverage from predominantly negative portrayals to more neutral representations.
