Media Influence On Mass Shootings

The United Stated leads the world in mass shootings and they are become more common each day, making people wonder what is triggering them. Some believe the media is to blame for the rise in shootings while others feel that there are different circumstances that contribute to this matter. In the article “How the Media Inspires Mass Shootings” the author, Mark Follman, claims that the media has influenced an increase in mass shooting by the way they publish their findings. The media does inspire mass shootings by giving fame to the shooter, promoting step to reenact a mass murder, and presenting mental illness and social abnormalities as a justifiable reason for the cause of these shootings. The media gives fame to mass shooters by being a …show more content…
The media is regulated on the amount of information they release in other fatal situations, but not in mass shootings. For example, a study done by the Centers for Disease Control and National Institutes of Mental Health revealed that there is a rise in teen suicides when the methods, age, and state of mind of the teen were fully disclosed. The study also stated that suicide tended to be contagious amongst teens and the news coverage encouraged them to attempt the same methods when it is heavily reported upon (Tufekci). So, the media is not allowed to release detailed information about a teen suicide and no information about suicide pacts (Tufekci). Mass shootings should be regulated in the same way. If too much information is given out, it gives means for others to re-create their own attack and aim for the same type of attention. Follman mentions Andre Simon, a special unit’s investigator who said that there has been 400 copycat cases that were inspired by the Combine shooting. Simon also revealed that shooters look to the past shooters for “…inspiration and operation details…” (Follman). Studies show that 30 percent of mass shootings and 22 percent of school shooting seem to be inspired by previous attacks (Kunter). It is true that a majority of Americans will not be negatively affected when the media depicts the gruesome aftermath of a shooting, however there are some that are …show more content…
As gun laws are still being debated upon in the political systems today, it is important that the media do its part now to lessen the problem. Research supports that shootings are a contagious act, therefore precautions should be implemented throughout all media. Simple safeguards, such as not using the shooter’s name and social media, announcing the methods used, and summing up the causation as mental illness will help lower the number of mass shooting. Although these precautions will in no way fully eliminate mass shootings, its will be a step in the right direction to combat this