Media Coverage Of Mass Shooter Follman Analysis

Media Coverage of Mass Shooters Mass shootings have been a rapidly growing problem for some time now in the United States. In the article, Taking a Different Ethical Approach in the Media Coverage of Mass Shooters, Mark Follman, New York Times reporter and national affairs editor for Mother Jones where he leads an investigative reporting team covering gun violence, wrote in favor of not releasing information about the shooters. Follman had more successful and convincing points than illegitimate statements throughout the writing making his overall article effective. Follman argues that mass shooters are more celebrated than their victims and that inspires people to carry out dirty tasks just so they will become well known too. Stating, “There is a growing body of forensic evidence that mass shooters emulate their most infamous predecessors.” His take on this issue is that mass shooters gain motivation from seeing others become famous even though they did horrifying things. Later stating, “there are now clear indications that some individuals who plan and carry out these crimes are influenced by …show more content…
He supports this by saying, “Forensic investigators have found that troubled young men at risk of going on a rampage tend to identify with mass shooters they see on TV and online.” Most Americans are disgusted and repulsed by images and videos of maniacs, Follman argues, “but aspiring copycats see an antihero who’s gone from being a miserable nobody to a world-famous somebody with a few pulls of a trigger.” Deranged humans are willing to do anything to get attention, even if it is not good attention. So, Follman proposes that the United States should, “summarize the salient material,” rather than, “propagating a killer’s demented bid for glory. This claim is effective because Follman supports it with evidence that is sufficient, authoritative, and