THBT the media’s reporting of violent crimes and events, like school shootings, is
directly contributing to further violent crimes
Arguments:
 “Media Contagion Effect”
 Shooters crave attention and infamy, and coverage that puts killers in the
spotlight makes an implicit promise to those on the edge of committing mass
violence
 When mass shooters receive a tremendous amount of media attention, that
can turn them into role models and de facto celebrities for other
impressionable individuals, who then may be more likely to commit mass
shootings of their own
 Others may be attracted to the sensationalized, dramatic, or powerful ways
the original attackers were portrayed by media outlets, and therefore commit
attacks of their own
Rebuttals:
 Psychologically healthy people do not commit mass shootings based on what
they read or see in the news, but there are troubled and at-risk individuals
who respond very differently.
o People can identify with what is being shown in the media, and if you
are going to argue against this, then pray tell, why are some tv series or
movies so popular with the people? It is because they can relate to it,
but don’t necessarily re-enact it. Take for instance, The Probinsyano. If
some ordinary people, who are psychologically healthy can identify
with the media, then some
https://undark.org/2018/03/08/media-coverage-of-mass-shootings-misses-the-mark-for-decades/
http://www.center4research.org/copy-cats-kill/
http://ftp.iza.org/dp11900.pdf
https://www.elon.edu/u/academics/communications/journal/wpcontent/uploads/sites/153/2018/12/03-Lee.pdf
https://digital.library.txstate.edu/bitstream/handle/10877/4947/SCHILDKRAUT-DISSERTATION2014.pdf?sequence=1
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312871327_Mass_Media_Reporting_and_Enabling_of_
Mass_Shootings
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319560751_Don't_Name_Them_Don't_Show_Them_But
_Report_Everything_Else_A_Pragmatic_Proposal_for_Denying_Mass_Killers_the_Attention_They_S
eek_and_Deterring_Future_Offenders
https://psmag.com/news/does-the-media-cause-mass-shootings
https://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/news-media/mass-shootings-news-research/
https://www.cjr.org/united_states_project/mass-shooting-contagion-guidelines-the-trace.php