Mass media must take blame for mass murder
Law Society Journal
September 1999
The mass media must accept at least part of the blame for the epidemic of school shootings in the US, according to an expert in mass homicides, reports The Age (Vic.)
The acting director of the Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention at Griffith University, Dr. Christopher Cantor, says there is no other logical explanation for six devastating school shootings in America since last October, resulting in 16 deaths and at least 49 injuries. He says the number of guns in the US has not changed dramatically, nor has the extent os social and psychological problems. "What has changed in the last year is that there are copious stories in the media, TV as well as print about young people shooting young people in schools."
He has called for a review of the media's style of reporting mass homicide. Although he acknowledges the media's duty to inform, he is concerned reporting often has more to do with entertainment. Media reports should stick to accurate descriptions of the perpetrator as socially inadequate and avoid sensationalist, Rambo-style portrayals that may encourage vulnerable individuals to carry out similar acts, he says.
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