Copy Cats & the Media

Firstly, I believe in the constitutional right to freedom of the press. That is one of our hallmarks in this country. Now, what exactly do we need to know in a free press? Some would argue that we need to know every detail. That argument, indeed, has teeth. But I argue there are some issues that need only be reported in a succinct manner without any real depth or involvement by the media.

Secondly, let's examine the recent shootings in schools across the United States and Canada. Do we need to know about every detail surrounding these types of cases? I argue that we do not. Sure, we need to know they happened. It is important to be able to know the current events going on in our world. It is not usual for there to be three school shootings in one week, however. These are simply copy cat events.

How do we protect ourselves from such events? The sorrow of loss is immeasurable for the families and communities directly touched by these events, as we know. We can empathize with loss and terror; however, the media need not dwell on these issues. Basically, the people who commit such crimes are those who are ostracized in some form by society. They are overlooked as individuals in some manner, which should be horrifying in-and-of-itself. The media gives them a quick and somewhat glamorous outlet. It is a final homage to themselves. For a brief (or not so brief) moment a person becomes a superstar. Now, for most of us it's not the type of super stardom we want attached to our final memory; however, to some it is the outlet they have been searching for their entire lives. All you need is a gun, a semi-plausible plan, and a school full of students. That's a plan that lands you as the lead story on the evening news. Your name is flashed for the entire world to see. To the perpetrator, it doesn't matter what the circumstances are for it being there. Certainly, you won't be forgotten by the families you destroyed. Finally, you may have lived alone or felt as if you were an outcast by society, but you won't die alone. You, for a brief moment in time, will be the master of life and death. You will hold someone else's life in the balance. The moment of live-or-die will be completely at your discretion. Then at the moment you chose you can take as much life as you wish with no consequences, because you are going to die then and there also.

You may not be a rock star, but the allure of the lights and the drama, even though you may be dead, to some is too much to pass up. The media should simply touch on the issue and then move away as is if it were nothing major. Of course, we all know it is major. But not every homicide in the United States gets the lead story on the evening news. Not every murder victim's face is put on television for the world to see. When we sensationalize and glorify this type of deed, we only endanger the lives of other people who go to school or work there.

(Hey, I'm biased when it comes to this issue! It's the place I spend most of my week. I certainly don't want someone coming into my classroom and blasting away at me because they felt as if they could be the lead-in to Larry King Live.)