Should we blame the media or the politicians?

As detailed in this post, the latest FBI statistics suggest that all major categories of violent crime in the United States continue to decline.  Nevertheless, as detailed here by CrimProf Blog, a new Gallup poll shows a sharp increase in the number of persons who believe there is more crime in the U.S. and more crime in their area than there was a year ago.

Given all the chatter from the media and the politicians lately about the meth epidemic and about the threats from sex offenders, I am not surprised to see a poll suggesting that the public has come to believe crime is on the rise.  And, because perception is often more important than reality when people vote at the ballot box and "vote" with their remote controls, there is reason to fear that such perceived increases in crime may prompt even more chatter about crime from the media and the politicians.  Such is the vicious cycle of the politics of crime where the rhetoric rarely matches the reality.