The latest in a tragic series of school shootings has some experts pondering the possibility of "copycat syndrome". Today's National Post carries an article to that effect - "Montreal might have triggered latest U.S. wave".
Dr. Roy says he will never mention the name of the monster who executed those Amish girls.
I wonder if there is a way for MSM to convey the news without disclosing the name of the killer, in an attempt to tone down the notoriety aspect.
Obviously, these deranged individuals are looking at the attention that previous school shooters get, and then expecting a similar splash themselves as they go out in what they perceive to be a blaze of glory.
MSM could give profiles of the killers without giving the name; much like the young offenders' situation here, where the accused is not named. But instead of protecting the murderer, the intent here would be to play down the media attention.
Thoughts?
12 comments:
Doc Roy is absolutely right!
I think no matter what we do, there will always be some idiots out there who will line up and shoot young people and think its fun.
If seeing someone on the news inspires these people into acting, then it is a truly hopeless situation. No matter what we do, they will act out and attack. Our only hope is that somehow someone notices them before they make their move. (May God have mercy on us all)
It just came out in the news that this latest creepo may have been planning to molest the girls first, but got surprised and killed them before shooting himself.
As someone who has an 8 year-old daughter in school, it was extremely difficult for me to read the account of what happened without getting choked up. I cannot even fathom the pain that the parents must be feeling.
Unfortunately there will always be these piles of human excrement that want their 15 minutes of fame at any price and the media outlets will gladly oblige them. I'm afraid that as long as people tune in to get all the salacious details there will always be someone willing to peddle in human misery.
Well said, Counter-Coulter. I'm sure we can all agree on that.
That Dawson shooter POS sure got his name and image splashed across the nation.
All it does it show the next POS that the glory is there for them if they want to go out in a blaze of it.
I'm not saying we should hush it up but I think the media should focus on the victims and not grant attention (even post-humous) to the attention seeker.
Molar! Great to hear from you. :)
Yes, I heard something to that effect last night. Somone made a comment on the news that years from now, we won't remember the victims' names, but we'll remember the names of the killers, which is so sad but probably true.
The key might be good parenting. Of course, though, there will always be bad, nonexistent, or dead parents.
Re: media attention. It's really up to the police in charge to withold information about the shooter. I often see talk on this blog and others (Riley....) that paints "the media" like it is a central organization with one head that can choose or not choose to cover something. There will always be that one media outlet, or one reporter, who will get the information -- even if we decide that shooters such as these shouldn't be given airtime. And, like any fad (or competitive business), once one media carries it, a lot of others will, too.
And good luck with trying to work out a media ban on shooter identities. It's unconsitutional and wouldn't stand up in an appeals court (versus, say, protecting the identity of sexual victims, which is common court practice).
You may not be able to ban the media from doing stories on these dregs of society, but how about some simple courtesy and respect for the victims here? And how about not filling future assailants heads with visions of living forever through their infamous acts. I saw ABC dedicate an entire hour to profiling this wack job, throwing a little fuel onto the fire of the next shooter in line.
Platty, that is exactly what I'm talking about. Of course this kind of thing means big ratings. Pathetic isn't it?
It was quite obvious that the Dawson College shooter did it for media glory. He fed the media, through the internet, with plenty of sick images of himself and disturbing messages.
Sites like You Tube also glorified his actions. That site contains footage of the shooting taken from camera phones. The internet is a great resource, but in cases like this, it hurts more than it helps.
Great point about You Tube, Michele!
I had never thought of that. Good to have a younger person's perspective - younger than me that is. lol!. Thanks.
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