The perpetrators name, which will not be mentioned here, was spoken aloud countless times. CNN put its political agenda first, and disguised it as a townhall meant to further the discussion on school safety.
Given the wealth of data collected by academics and law enforcement agencies studying the phenomena, it’s time for Americans to demand media outlets acknowledge their role in school shootings and mass killings. It’s time for Americans to demand they take responsibility and proactive measures to minimize the likelihood of a prior mass killing inducing another.
Before we get into the data, let’s first define what it is we’re talking about and set a few parameters.
A “mass shooting” is properly defined as a public shooting in which one or more perpetrators with a firearm murders at least 4 victims. Researchers in the field have argued the modern phenomenon of mass shootings began in 1966 with the tragic incident at the University of Texas.
It’s also important to first note that the data used in these studies may vary. For instance, one study may have isolated 18- to 29-year-olds, while others reviewed all age groups for potential copycats. Some studies included suicidal perpetrators, while others did not.
Nevertheless, the academic and law enforcement consensus is clear: the media inspires copycats in school shootings and induces mass murder events. The media is the contagion, not the solution — at least not yet.
That being said, not all media outlets have refused to take responsibility. Much to their credit, Mark Follman and Becca Andrews at Mother Jones have done great work documenting the “Columbine effect.”
On April 20, 1999, two teenage boys fatally shot 13 people and injured 24 others at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. The Mother Jones investigation found the shooting inspired at least 74 plots or attacks across 30 states.[1] In at least 14 cases, Columbine copycats plotted their attacks on the anniversary of the original massacre.
“Individuals in 13 cases indicated that their goal was to outdo the Columbine body count,” they wrote. “In at least 10 cases, the suspects and attackers referred to the pair who struck in 1999, [name redacted] and [name redacted], as heroes, idols, martyrs, or God. And at least three plotters made pilgrimages to Columbine High School from other states.”
Since Columbine, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been devoted to...
