Abstract:
The research objective is to study the social construction of crime meaning through TV crime documentary's narrative in Tamlarhakwamjing (Tracking down the truth) and Bauesae (Clue) that were broadcasted in 1997. The analysis shows that both mentioned crime documentary constructed the crime reality by investigative narrative which is an emotional dramatic story with suspense and conflict plot while there always be three main lead character groups which are police, villain and victim. Its theme is aimed to demonstrate how illegal and immoral of criminal's act to victim, nevertheless, the society will always be sheltered, protected and maintained its peace by police's act against law violator, as the hero's role of the story. Therefore, the portrayal of crime presented in TV crime documentary is encoded by three levels of television codes; reality, representation, and ideology for the shared perception between the show's producer and their audiences which is a common social acknowledgment that committing a crime is not only law violated, immoral but also trouble other innocent people. However, police will prevent crime, arrest criminals and send them to be punished as that intentional duties had been insisted by presenting police's positive image through those shows.