Mar 12, 2018
On this episode: mass shootings and the
media.
After the high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, one idea
for change has gained ground -- restricting children's access to
violent popular entertainment such as video games and
movies.
"I'm hearing more and more people say the level
of violence on video games is really shaping young
people's thoughts," President Donald Trump said days after the
tragedy.
The idea is not new. For decades, politicians and others have
pointed to the role violent imagery might play in shaping
children's thoughts and in affecting their mental
health.
Students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have had
other ideas. They want the focus on guns.
"We need to pay attention to the fact that this isn't just a
mental health issue. He wouldn't have hurt that many students with
a knife," said Emma Gonzalez at a powerful rally.
We take a look at how Parkland students have upended
the usual mass shooting narrative.
We also look at how the news media is debating whether its
coverage of mass shootings has been too sanitized.
Nicole Dahmen of the University of Oregon has studied
that very issue and joins us in conversation.
"We do have some evidence that suggests that images can hit us
in the gut," Dahmen said.
The question, she said, is how to balance the public's
interest in knowing about the horrors of mass shootings with the
media's responsibilities to not exploit the tragedy.
Nova Safo
Sasa Woodruff
Kate Concannon