It's the Media's Fault

Okay... enough it enough. I've been biting my tongue, not wanting to post anything about this, but I have to. The tragedy in Connecticut is so.... so... there are no words to describe how horrible it is! And it's because of the damn media, once again.

There's a statement floating around social media - not sure who really said it (some claimed it was Morgan Freeman, at first, but that's been disputed, now.), but it's spot on...

"You want to know why. This may sound cynical, but here's why.

It's because of the way the media reports it. Flip on the news and watch how we treat the Batman theater shooter and the Oregon mall shooter like celebrities. Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris are household names, but do you know the name of a single *victim* of Columbine? Disturbed people who would otherwise just off themselves in their basements see the news and want to top it by doing something worse, and going out in a memorable way. Why a grade school? Why children? Because he'll be remembered as a horrible monster, instead of a sad nobody.

CNN's article says that if the body count "holds up", this will rank as the second deadliest shooting behind Virginia Tech, as if statistics somehow make one shooting worse than another. Then they post a video interview of third-graders for all the details of what they saw and heard while the shootings were happening. Fox News has plastered the killer's face on all their reports for hours. Any articles or news stories yet that focus on the victims and ignore the killer's identity? None that I've seen yet. Because they don't sell. So congratulations, sensationalist media, you've just lit the fire for someone to top this and knock off a day care center or a maternity ward next.

You can help by forgetting you ever read this man's name, and remembering the name of at least one victim. You can help by donating to mental health research instead of pointing to gun control as the problem. You can help by turning off the news."

This has been the case since long before social media, and long before the cable news channels, too. Think about it... you can go back to John Dillinger, the notorious bank robber/gangster. Just about anyone you ask can tell you who he is. But can you tell me about any of his victims along the way? How about any of Al Capone's victims?

Our society sensationalizes the bad guy. And then Hollywood follows up with movies about them. Or, probably worse, crime investigation TV shows that give people the perception that everything is solved in a day (or in an hour) and the 'how' and 'why' should be made immediately available to the public. And now 'the public' are the experts on the situation.

And the media... there needs to be a stop to their intrusion on tragedies like we've endured lately. Why in the heck did 60 minutes already have an interview with the school nurse last night?? And some 'experts' on the situation followed that nurse's interview... seriously. Two days after it happened, and we're already interviewing people involved or directly affected?? Let the dust settle, at least! I know there's a right for free press, but it doesn't say they have a right within hours of something happening, before the investigation has even come close to concluding. Maybe, just maybe, if they waited and followed up after a few days, there wouldn't be so much incorrect information hitting the airwaves, just because they want to be the first to report something. Personally, I think there should be a gag order on all information coming from a scene like the one in CT for at least 24 hours, if not more... let them report the breaking news (the headline) and maybe fly a chopper over the scene, but that's it... "We'll bring more details tomorrow."

Part of it is our fault, too. We've become a society of instant gratification. We want things, and we want them now. And we expect that from people who 'serve us', whether it be at a fast food drive-thru or a breaking news story. If we have to wait, we get impatient and upset. That's not a good way to see life.

So if you haven't already, turn off the TV. Stop reading every detail about the CT shooting. If you must read something, read about the victims, not the 'why' of the shooter. Don't point fingers, or cry foul at gun control laws. Don't blame the government for lack of funding for mental health institutions. Instead, take a step back, look around at your own little world, and cherish what you have.