Within the past decade, there have been way too many senseless mass shootings that have occurred in various states and places such as movie theaters, churches, trains, stores and even schools. The public certainly needs to be made aware of these shootings and threats, and the outcome if one pervades. In turn, there is a large amount of pressure on journalists regarding the way in which they cover these stories. The Internet is one of the main sources for receiving information and news that we learn about from day-to-day. Whether we read our news on the Internet through online newspapers or through search engines like Google, there is not much filtering of what we find online. Even logging on to Facebook, which isn’t even intended to be a news platform, you can find what appear to be news stories that are actually a block of unverified text. The fact that “news,” whatever that means these days, is so easy for anyone to produce and obtain makes it difficult for consumers to decide what sources are credible. This is why it is so important that we be more critical of the articles and stories that journalists put out and the ways that they do so. They have a lot of power over the public and if that power can be used to reduce violence in any way, we must take a stand and be sure that they are doing so.
While I can’t speak for journalists, I am led to believe that the frequent mass shootings that have been occurring must place great stress on them since they are the ones producing the news stories surrounding these tragic events. On top of producing this content, they are expected to hold a neutral stance about these events. In doing both of these things, it becomes very hard for journalists to decide which details might be best to omit from their stories, especially when it comes to those about mass shootings. Journalists and those of power in the media world may want to consider omitting certain stories that are too sensitive. A journalist should get into the habit of thinking to him or herself, “What good will come of this story being published?” or “Am I encouraging these types of crimes by giving attention to this story?”
Many researchers and journalists, such as Mark Follman of The New York Times, have wondered if the media and journalism feed into the whole “copycatting” problem with regards to these devastating, inhumane crimes. To clarify, the “copycatting phenomenon” has been referred to by Psychology Today as “the clustering of many different kinds of destructive acts including suicides, murder-suicides, familicides and rampage killings.”
Follman is concerned with the role of journalists and their ability, or inability, to reduce the frequency of mass shootings. Follman states, “If there are steps journalists can take to help reduce the frequency of these slaughters — while still reporting aggressively and robustly — we should seriously consider them.” The key word here is “if.” We cannot exactly measure journalists’, as well as the media’s, impact on mass shootings in our nation. But this does not mean that we should be discouraged from trying. It may be beneficial for researchers who study mass shootings to find correlations between news stories that cover mass shootings and whether these stories impact the amount of subsequent shootings that occur.
The Times reports how most people on average would naturally be disturbed by the sight or image of a killer posing with a weapon while smiling. However, Follman notes how some people, specifically those who fall into the “copycat” category, see these murderous individuals as “antiheros,” in the sense that they went from being a “nobody” to “world famous.” These people clearly do not care for the reason behind this so-called “fame.” This, to me, is sickening. If the media and journalists give attention to these people, they may become a model for future shooters to want to achieve this same “fame.” As a communication major, I feel that if I can have any impact through my future work to help reduce the frequency of these acts, I must try my best.
Even for those who are not interested in journalism or public relations, many of us are or have been students. Universities are unfortunately targeted by shooters far too often. Most recently on Nov. 1, a person died after a gunman opened fire at Winston Salem University in North Carolina. As students here at Fairfield, we must all be aware of the unfortunate frequency of these violent acts and note that all schools, regardless of location, can be a target.
But, as we have gratefully been spared of any tragedy happening on our campus, we should focus our attention on where we get our news from regarding these situations and what their effects on society are. Journalists are the voice of the media. They have the power to sway millions of individuals’ opinions and views in just one newspaper article or blog post. That being said, journalists must do everything possible through their writing to help reduce these massive slaughters of innocent people — starting now.
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