Mass Media And Mass Shootings

Mass media is a powerful force in the United States today and people often overlook the influence it has on society. As our nation’s media grows at an exponential rate so does the problems it carries with it. There is a whole plethora of issues revolving around the toxic media but I’m only going to highlight one major reoccurring theme, this being the connection between mass killings and the media. At this point you may think I’ve went off the deep end and there couldn’t possibly be any correlations between the two ideas. I’m going to prove you wrong by showing how media influences horrible acts of violence, whether it be intentionally or unintentionally.

Many people look at horrible massacres like the ones in Aurora or Sandy Hook and attribute

This theory is mainly focused on the killer himself whereas other notions tend to lean towards causes surrounding the perpetuator. As facts start to come out after the massacres we frequently learn that the individual behind the scary attacks is an unstable person that has needed help with internal problems in the past. Many times the person is actually seeing medical attention for psychiatric reasons at the time of their sudden rampages. Matthew Lysiak, a reporter for News Week, gives an insight on previous mass murderers’ mental problems. One killer he mentions is James Holmes, the man behind the horrific movie theatre massacre in Aurora, Colorado. During 2012 Holmes’ physiatrist wrote in her notes “he may be shifting insidiously into a frank psychotic disorder such as schizophrenia. Lysiak also goes on to talk about another notable mass murderer, Aaron Alexis. On August 4, 2013, naval police were called to Alexis’ room and when they arrived his bad was completely ripped apart because he thought people were hiding in it. All of this evidence could be seen as substantial evidence backing up the connection between mass killings and mental

You might be wondering, what could reporters possibly have to do with such horrible events? The answer is simple, we live in society where everyone wants news as fast as they can, and when a major event happens all of the media submerges onto it. This frantic rush to be the first one for a headline has almost turned into a race. Now, you’re probably asking yourself another question, what did this have to do with someone killing mass amounts of innocent people? This is answer isn’t as simple and lies in the murderer’s past. Several of these people that committed these atrocities lived isolated lives with little care from or towards other. No one ever payed attention them, but if they go on a killing spree the media will have them all over the news and the whole world will know who they are Chris Harper Mercer, the man behind the Oregon shooting, wrote about another killer that men like him are “alone and unknown… yet when they spill a little blood, the whole world knows who they are.” This quote goes to show as these cold blooded killers live isolated and troubled lives they become hungry for attention. They may be crazy but they know this horrific violence will have them living in