Criminal conceptions are constructed and diffused throughout society by various means of communication. For purposes of analysis, conceptions of crime can be discussed according to social reaction to crime, the diffusion of criminal conceptions, social types in the world of crime, public attitudes toward crime, and public attitudes toward the control of crime. All these issues in the construction of criminal conceptions affect the development of criminal definitions and behavior patterns in a society. The reaction of the public to crime is both a product of the social reality of crime and a source in the construction of conceptions of crime. On the one hand, social reactions to crime are a consequence of the reality the public has constructed in regard to crime. Moreover, the mass media provide varying and often divergent portrayals of crime. The effect of the coverage of crime in the mass media has been a topic for considerable speculation and research.