An op-ed published in The Los Angeles Times on Sunday documented the staggering amount of free media publicity that news organizations like CNN give mass shooters in the wake of tragedies and how that free publicity is driving the frequency and lethality of the tragedies.
The article was authored by James Densley, a sociologist and professor of criminal justice at Metropolitan State University, and Jillian Peterson, a psychologist and professor of criminology and criminal justice at Hamline University.
“Studies estimate that in the aftermath of their attacks, mass killers receive approximately $75 million in free media coverage, a level professional athletes and Hollywood actors would envy,” Densley and Peterson wrote. “For men who feel angry, alienated and anonymous, the incentives to perform are appealing. And bigger body counts mean bigger headlines. One recently thwarted shooter posted that, ‘A good 100 kills would be nice,’ and another wanted to ‘break a world record.’”
Source: The Daily Wire
Author: Ryan Saavedra