Rosa, Gonçalo Pereira2025-12-152025-12-152025-01-01Rosa, G. P. (2025). How a small-scale panic turns into an unstoppable news wave about mass mugging on the beach. In From media hype to twitter storm: news explosions and their impact on issues, crises and public opinion (pp. 187-208). Taylor and Francis AS. https://doi.org/10.5117/9789462982178/CH05978104077775697810411798329789462982178b9e68f4b-a685-4cea-99f0-6f37b67f51cehttp://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/55884An incident on a Portuguese beach in 2005 was built and distorted in the national media as an instance of a new crime, replicating known parameters of the Brazilian ‘arrastão’ (mass mugging). This chapter aims to discuss news values, organizational routines, self-referential production standards and bias and prejudice in newsrooms. The chapter suggests that, when in progress, a news wave – built with the contributions of major mass media organizations – is a near unstoppable force and any arguments against it tend to be dismissed.engCrime in the newsDistortionMedia wavesMuggingRisk societybook part10.5117/9789462982178/CH05105023257855