The influence of the media on the social perception of crime has hardly been the subject of empirical investigation in Spain. However, there is a widespread belief that they often offer a distorted view of crime, and that they increasingly determine the content of the political – criminal decisions of the government and the legislature. This study focuses on the informative treatment of criminal acts often described as street crime, which by their place and form of commission show a particular capacity to generate feelings of insecurity in the population. Deals with the intense debate around this type of crime that took place between May 2001 and May 2003, immediately before the general elections; the debate is documented through its reflection on the pages of the newspaper El País, one of its main drivers. Hypotheses to be verified are as follows: 1. The special media focus on crime has a direct link to increasing concern and fear of crime among society, and to the adoption of a more repressive criminal policy by political actors. 2. There is no correlation between the evolution of crime rates and changes in the volume of information and focus on crime in the media. 3. The media players in the debate are not experts on political and criminal issues, but certain lobbyists, particularly those of a corporate nature.