Comments on: Dear Mainstream Media: Please Stop Reporting on School Shootings

By: Are We Addicted to Controversy? | The Scholarpreneur

Are We Addicted to Controversy? | The Scholarpreneur — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 18:31:14 +0000

[…] Posted in March 30th, 2008 by Tony in mainstream media, rants A while back, I wrote a post condemning the mainstream media for its constant glorification of violence. In general, our news media kind of sucks, but I wanted […]

By: RT Wolf

RT Wolf — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 03:36:08 +0000

Interesting thoughts. Some food for thought for critics:

The media in general has stopped reporting or sensationalizing suicides because it was discovered that after every well publicized suicide, there were a number of “copy cat” suicides. I’m sure you can find the link to the study through a google scholar search.

Another thing that might bake your noodle is that crime rates increased as televisions were introduced in cities, one after another. Google scholar search should reveal the study, too.

The media does not simply “report”. At this point the media definitely has an effect, whether intended or not. If you are a regular consumer of the media, try going on a 30-day trial fast from the media and see how you feel. If you’re anything like me, you’ll probably start to feel better and less down.

Cheers!

By: Tony

Tony — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 21:04:18 +0000

Allie,

You’re not questioning whether these safety measures are actually doing any good.

If they’re not preventing school violence, (how many shootings have happened since Columbine?) then your defense falls apart and we should look elsewhere for answers.

Your true reasoning rests on fear. You want the media to report on these events not because you have concluded logically that you will be better off if informed of these tragedies, but because you’re irrationally afraid of it happening to you.

Do you wonder how much media attention shootings rampages receive compared to how many deaths they cause each year? I’m sure it’s very disproportionate.

By: Allie

Allie — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 20:18:48 +0000

You know, everyone blames it on the media. Boo hoo. People were killing each other with guns way before the media was reporting on it. It’s not the media’s fault. If they didn’t report on it, you would criticize them for that, saying they weren’t doing their jobs. What about the countless tributes and backgrounds on the victims,forever memorialized in the pages and sites of news organizations?

I agree though sometimes they focus too much on the killers, but focusing on the killers sheds light on them and how they came to do it so that sort of thing can be prevented. Remember Columbine? Schools across the nation created a no-tolerance policies on bullying. After Virginia Tech, colleges across the nation as well revamped their psychological safety nets in catching those troubled, as well as implementing quicker, new emergency notification systems.

What really causes school shootings? Trauma and/or mental illnesses in the individual and the lack of support for them. Maybe violent video games or TV contribute that glorify things like this, but it starts in the individual.

By: Pete Nicely

Pete Nicely — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 20:01:22 +0000

I think is an excellent commentary. If I could write so clearly, I would have tried to write something very similar. I wrote a story about being a teacher at a high school right after Columbine. It might be a nice complimentary read to this piece.

By: Redbeard72

Redbeard72 — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 19:31:57 +0000

Sorry, that should be, “blood and sex sell”

By: Redbeard72

Redbeard72 — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 19:31:04 +0000

Excellent article. Blood ans sex sells; both of which give extra incentive to lonely, angry, confused kids. Here’s hoping that someone in the MSM hears your argument.

By: Loramalor

Loramalor — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 19:23:39 +0000

Absolute rubbish.
To try to connect a shooting to its reporting is a stretch on par with Bush’s allegations of WMDs in Iraq.
You present no evidence to back up your theory nor do you reason it past your own intuitions, using what amounts to circular logic as “proof” of your assertions.
What we actually need is to get rid of ignorant, uninformed opinionists such as yourself.

By: dzychase

dzychase — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 18:31:17 +0000

What isn’t commented on it the fact that every one of these killers have been in the care of a psychiatrist of some sort and then kills themselves after their rampage. Am I the only one who sees the Manchurian Candidate connection to this? The main reason the news media reports so heavily is because they are complicit in the desire to remove guns from the hands of law-abiding citizens, so that this country will be easier to subdue when the time comes. If it weren’t for fear of the many armed individuals in this country, I believe the “New World Order” would be a present reality. I am not a gun owner, but I am a firm believer in the Constitution and the 2nd amendment which was placed there in the event that a despotic government should again need to be guarded against.

By: Tony

Tony — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 18:10:52 +0000

Amrit,

Wow, that’s enlightening, and unfortunate. Thanks for the comment.