Media dramatization regarding US shooting incidents

[vortexring 0]

There have been a few posters here on SC that have kindly pointed out this point, from various websites, with the stat's to prove it. Of course.

I've tended to not pay too much attention to these sites. I've found them slightly unethical as my interpretation has been that the news pieces from the sites are almost trying to explain away the problem. And doesn't it go without saying that your general media outlets have to dramatize - isn't it their 'law'?

Now, the frequency of US school shootings is a serious problem. If you completely disregard the media it's still a massive problem.

The reasons for this problem are numerous and contentious; so maybe I'm best not going into all my opinions for the causes of the problem...

But there is something worth mentioning...

Does the media actually have some involvement in the frequency of shootings through the attention the media will naturally generate?

I believe the answer to be an unequivocal yes.

Isn't that scary?

'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

[billvon 3,132]

>Does the media actually have some involvement in the frequency of
>shootings through the attention the media will naturally generate?

I would take a step back from that and say, rather, that KNOWLEDGE of the frequency of shootings will feed back into the frequency of shootings. The media is merely the conduit for that knowledge.

[quade 4]

Quote

Does the media actually have some involvement in the frequency of shootings through the attention the media will naturally generate?

I believe the answer to be an unequivocal yes.

Hmmm, guns don't kill people, the possibility of being on the news does.

Well, actually, that is a small motivation in the minds of some, but are you suggesting that the news stop covering shootings?

That's unrealistic.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[vortexring 0]

Well, doesn't that go without saying?

Besides, if the media are purposefully dramatizing then they no longer become simply a conduit of knowledge.

And that's where my point lies.

'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

[vortexring 0]

Quote

Quote

Does the media actually have some involvement in the frequency of shootings through the attention the media will naturally generate?

I believe the answer to be an unequivocal yes.

Hmmm, guns don't kill people, the possibility of being on the news does.

Well, actually, that is a small motivation in the minds of some, but are you suggesting that the news stop covering shootings?

That's unrealistic.

Of course it's unrealistic, so I'm therefore not suggesting that in the slightest.

'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

[quade 4]

Quote

Well, doesn't that go without saying?

Besides, if the media are purposefully dramatizing then they no longer become simply a conduit of knowledge.

And that's where my point lies.

You keep using the word "dramatizing", which isn't your fault, but has a COMPLETELY different meaning in the news business than how you're using it.

I believe you're just talking about "reporting".

A "dramatization", by contrast, is a recreation of events by actors and a camera crew. That's something you might see on America's Most Wanted, but rarely if ever seen in an actual news broadcast.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[vortexring 0]

I'll disagree because to dramatize is to make a story; to make things seem dramatic.

Isn't this exactly what your average media outlet is trying to achieve?

'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

[christelsabine 1]

Quote

...
Does the media actually have some involvement in the frequency of shootings through the attention the media will naturally generate?

I believe the answer to be an unequivocal yes.
...

Vicariously, media is always involved, w/o mainly having any influence on the event itself.

We know that mentally disordered individuals highly do appreciate the presence of media - they need attention. Means, they use media. And media needs those folks.

That's how it works. Supply and demand.

Please, kindly correct me if I'm wrong. (Ya know, beeing an alien, and such...)

It's same here. OK, we only had very few sensational "events" like school shootings but, in the end, reasons almost always were the same: Catching attention.

Media is giving attention quickly.

Supply and demand.

dudeist skydiver # 3105

[happythoughts 0]

the flip side

There are people who use guns to stop all kinds of crimes every day. Those incidents do make it into the media. They just don't get the same attention.

Anybody hear about this story? Nope.

When a criminal is shot, nobody really cares.
Criminals don't have a "you can't shoot back" advocacy group (other than the ACLU).

Also, almost shooting the bad guy is not a problem. If you save your life, then there doesn't need to be a statistic made for that.

There isn't hundreds of sociologists trying to document how many decent people were Not injured by criminals.

Killing a bunch of essentially good, productive citizens and loved ones is an issue that people want resolved.
They want to come to a conclusion that will stop it from happening again.

[vortexring 0]

Hiya Christel,

The point I'm trying to make isn't to blame the media for all this.

It's to decide if it might be a considerable factor of some sort.

I think it may well be. Exactly how much so, I'm not sure, so I thought I'd bring the subject up!
In regards to supply and demand, that simply equates to peoples desire to read an interesting story; something that captures their attention.

You wouldn't buy a paper if all its headlines were about, say; the Princess Diana case now would you?

(In relation to the British Daily Express newspaper; continually bringing up the so called conspiracy behind her death. It sadly sells.)

'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

[vortexring 0]

So if I'm understanding you correctly, you agree?

'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

[kallend 2,184]

Quote

I'll disagree because to dramatize is to make a story; to make things seem dramatic.

Isn't this exactly what your average media outlet is trying to achieve?

MASS MURDER is dramatic.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[kelpdiver 2]

> MASS MURDER is dramatic.

yes, but there's no doubt that 2 or 3 people being shot in a high school or college campus will get a lot more attention than 2 or 3 people being shot in Compton.

[vortexring 0]

Quote

Quote

I'll disagree because to dramatize is to make a story; to make things seem dramatic.

Isn't this exactly what your average media outlet is trying to achieve?

MASS MURDER is dramatic.

Which leads me to something I said earlier:

'It reminds me of what old Joe 'whaddya know' Stalin said: 'A single death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic.'

'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

[happythoughts 0]

Quote

So if I'm understanding you correctly, you agree?

Yes. The problem is that media is attention.

Normal people exhibit non-criminal behavior because it is their character. They go around being non-criminals every day because it is normal.

If there is an example of "copycat" behavior because another nice person received attention, it is welcomed.
No one is concerned if one person is nice because they read in the newspaper about a second nice person.

The promotion of "pay it forward" as a social goal is an excellent twist on this.

Mentally disturbed people who are seeking attention will notice that a new avenue for attention has presented itself. That is the driver for copycat crimes.

Crazy people notice that other crazy people are getting the attention that they seek through an action.

My sidebar about the basic flaw of statistical comparison, because of the nature of the lack of valid data, was just a bonus. (Comparing recorded crimes vs non-records of non-crimes seems obviously flawed.)

[vortexring 0]

Thanks for the interesting stories - it almost seems then that there isn't a great deal that can be done against this. But is that such a bad thing???

The AK story reminded me of a trip through the back roads of Arizona visiting your usual tourist haunts (apart from some amazing events that unfurled whilst in Flagstaff - but that's a different story!), and the great wide open roads and isolated houses made me make the simple conclusion that if I had to live there I'd have some fairly comprehensive home defence measures in place.

So then, going about my day to day business, if for example, I have to travel into town; wouldn't it be prudent to have a weapon in the car?

I can't say it would. I drove about without a wish for a weapon whatsoever. For me, feeling the need to carry was going into the realm of paranoia.

I'm waffleing now. Goodnight!

'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

[airdvr 210]

I see it every night...and not just on shootings. There are 3 local newscasts in my area. 2 of them report the news, the third acts as if it's reporting something more than the news. I can't explain it...you have to see and compare to understand.

It's like its not a news broadcast, it's a show that does news. I wish I could explain it better than this.

Anyways, it bothers me. I'm certain they try to make the story seem more important than it is.

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

[happythoughts 0]

Quote

Thanks for the interesting stories - it almost seems then that there isn't a great deal that can be done against this.

If attention is the goal, then give them attention for positive actions.

I was a judge at the Florida High School Computing Competition (state level). Seems like 70-80 teams.

These kids went to "pep rallies" for the athletic teams.
Nobody even knew that these kids had won their county-level event.

When I talked to the winning team, they said that no one would even hear about their state-level win.
The point of a school is to educate, but the recognition does not go to the educated.

It seems like more attention and recognition should go to actual positive role models.

As it is, all we know is that if you are famous in LA, you don't even get a fine for drug possession and a DUI (again).

That is the way to use media for positive change.
Celebrate achievement.

[billvon 3,132]

>There are people who use guns to stop all kinds of crimes every day.
>Those incidents do make it into the media. They just don't get the same
>attention.

Of course. Because a crime that doesn't happen is not news.

How many times do you and your friends at the dropzone talk about a cutaway that you didn't perform, or a landing that went fine, or a jumper who did not die on a jump?

[billvon 3,132]

>When I talked to the winning team, they said that no one would even hear about their state-level win.. . .
>It seems like more attention and recognition should go to actual positive role models.

From the front page of the San Diego U-T, in the local-sports section:
=============
SF Christian senior pins down dual role
By Kevin Gemmell
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

February 22, 2008

SOLANA BEACH – Meet Santa Fe Christian's Tyler Iwamura. He's a senior 125-pound wrestler and two-time Division IV champion who finished third at last year's section masters meet.

He's also an assistant coach (unofficially).

When former SFC coach Dave Schenk moved to the Bay Area before the wrestling season, it left Iwamura – a returning state qualifier – wondering where he would find guidance. As it turned out, he found it in himself.

“I think working with the rest of the team and teaching them technique has sharpened me a little bit,” said Iwamura, 18. “Since there is no one teaching me technique, I had to become really self-motivated this year. I can't take a practice off.”

It's that mentality that has made him the No. 2 seed at this year's masters tournament, which runs today and tomorrow at Mission Hills High in San Marcos. The finals are scheduled for 5:30 tomorrow. The top four in each weight class qualify for next week's state tournament in Bakersfield.
===============

If you stopped reading that halfway through, with a thought along the lines of "OK, he quoted some local highschool thing no one outside San Diego cares about" - then you have the reason why there is not more coverage of such events.

[kelpdiver 2]

Quote

These kids went to "pep rallies" for the athletic teams.
Nobody even knew that these kids had won their county-level event.

That was pretty much the truth for most of the sports teams that don't charge fans to attend. No more attention was paid to the tennis team or track. It's football and basketball, and to a much smaller level baseball.

On the plus side, if you get crushed in competition, few people know about it either. But when the football team sucks, everyone knows.

[kallend 2,184]

I can't imagine why sports events are considered "news" at all. Particularly high school sports... who cares except the families and friends of the competitors, and they know what happened anyway. Reporting this stuff in the papers just provides a use for refrigerator magnets.

When 5 people were shot dead in a Lane Bryant store 6 miles from my home two weeks ago, THAT is news.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[mnealtx 0]

Quote

I can't imagine why sports events are considered "news" at all. Particularly high school sports... who cares except the families and friends of the competitors, and they know what happened anyway. Reporting this stuff in the papers just provides a use for refrigerator magnets.

When 5 people were shot dead in a Lane Bryant store 6 miles from my home two weeks ago, THAT is news.

What about the people killed in the inner city everyday, Professor? Is that news too, or just lost in the noise?

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[Amazon 7]

Quote

Well, actually, that is a small motivation in the minds of some, but are you suggesting that the news stop covering shootings?

That's unrealistic.

If it bleeds it leads... and that goes on ALL over the world not just in the US

[kallend 2,184]

Quote

Quote

I can't imagine why sports events are considered "news" at all. Particularly high school sports... who cares except the families and friends of the competitors, and they know what happened anyway. Reporting this stuff in the papers just provides a use for refrigerator magnets.

When 5 people were shot dead in a Lane Bryant store 6 miles from my home two weeks ago, THAT is news.

What about the people killed in the inner city everyday, Professor? Is that news too, or just lost in the noise?

www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3133084#3133084

Doesn't matter, just so long as you can have easy access to guns.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.