May 18, 2021
On this episode of the Resistance Library Podcast, Sam and Dave
discuss how the American media perpetuates and profits from mass
shootings. Video games. 4chan.
“Toxic
masculinity.” These are just a few of the media’s favorite folk
devils when it comes to assigning blame for mass shootings in
America. However, there is startling evidence that
how
the media covers these tragedies makes them culpable in
perpetuating future ones.
This might sound like an outlandish claim, but it’s supported by
evidence from no less an authority than the National Institutes of
Health. It’s related to a well-established phenomenon of copycat
suicides known as the Werther Effect. Other countries’ medias have
taken steps to minimize the Werther Effect through self-imposed
industry standards on suicide reporting, and many of these
standards have parallels with the coverage of mass
shootings.
The American media currently has no industry standard practices for
how to cover either suicides or mass shootings. However, one can
easily see the difference between how mass shootings and suicides
are covered. Whereas suicides are treated as somber tragedies, mass
shootings often have the sensationalism turned up to 11. There’s a
detailed discussion of the shooter’s life story, motives and
methods. Strong evidence suggests that this both encourages and
instructs potential mass shooters.
Statistically speaking, mass shootings represent a tiny portion of
all deaths in the United States. For example, 2017 was the
deadliest year for mass shootings in America with a total of 117
people killed. For context, 102 people die from automobile
accidents
every day
according to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Institute.
Despite the low frequency of these tragedies, the media pays
outsized attention to them for self-serving reasons, which are both
political and economic: There's a demonstrated anti-gun agenda
amongst America's media. And there's the ongoing shift in the
media's business model to attention-based revenue that results in
ever-more sensational news coverage and
"clickbait"
headlines.
The lurid attention to mass shootings is profitable for America's
press, cable news networks, and social media companies – despite
the consequences encapsulated by the Werther Effect. Thus a look at
the role the American media plays in perpetuating these rampage
killers is in order.
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