I am outraged at the level of attention the media provide deeply disturbed people who commit horrendous crimes. I think we all should be. I think the media should have an honest conversation among themselves about their role in stimulating copycat behavior.
The recent shooting in Marysville is just the latest example. I don’t need to know the young man who did this. I don’t need to know his name. I don’t need to see his picture. I don’t need to know his story other than general terms that might help me and my family avoid similar situations. I don’t want to see him or anyone else getting their so-called “15 minutes of fame.”
Feeding into the hunger for prurient interest in the gruesome details of his life, his motivation or actions is stretching a story for one reason: selling the news. Of course, his family is devastated — as are family members who suffer from his sick actions.
This type of news coverage has been going on for far too long. Will there be no serious discussion about how the media might responsibly report the news, without sensationalizing and memorializing aberrant behavior that may be the sole motivation for the next deeply disturbed individual who could take a knife, a gun or poison gas to fulfill their grisly view of what provides their disturbed lives meaning?
