school shootings

[rsdemt]

I know this is not EXACTLY an ems related question.
But we are in a position to help victims of crime, accidents etc.
I have been doing research on the media and their coverage of school shootings.
Do you believe that the media "gloryfies" the shooters?
But they hardly even recognize the victims?
An example is the most recent Northern Illinois university shooting.
I watched the news last night, and they told you what the shooter did (yes I know his name, but that defeats the purpose of this blog.) 48hours before he shot the stiudents.
Then they go to Northern Illinois University campis.
2commenyts about THE UNIVERSITY. NOTHING ABOUT VICTIMS!
1) The campuus was quiet. Is everyone so stupid that they have to know the campus is "quiet"? Who is stupid enoygh to think there is a "party" happening?
2) there was 5 crosses in front of the building, where the shootings occured.
Now in addition to the 2 obvious comments above. I also know the shooter drank beer, smoke cigarettes, took a shower, and had a cold. Because they explaibned IN GREAT DETAIL about what the shooter did before he cruelly shot 5 innocent people.
Any comments on the Northern Illinois University, Va tech etc. shootings welcome.

 

[firetender]

People want to know. Reporters give it to them. People require more information about the perpetrators than they do about the victims because they really need to be able to distinguish themselves from the killers. They already know they could be the victims. It's more important for them to get enough data to know they are "Not-Perps."

 

[BossyCow]

It's important for people who missed being in those kind of senseless tragedies to reassure themselves that there is a reason why it will never happen to them. To identify the shooter as mentally ill, loner, geeky, quiet, violent, enraged, or other quantifier, makes those who are sitting at home understand that if they avoid or marginalize those types of people or keep them away from their loved ones... "THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN TO ME OR MINE" To talk about how normal, and average the victims are, tends to get the public to identify with them and that increases the fear that it might happen to them or theirs.

 

[bonedog]

Old song... Dirty Laundry, lyrics pretty much say it all, tell you about the plane crash with a gleam in her eye...

It is about money. Victims don't sell, killers do.