One week after the shooting that occurred at a small community college in Oregon that left nine dead, my professor opened up class by asking us if we wanted to talk about the shooting. A couple students began to mumble a few words about how terrible the event was, though the room was mostly quiet. The professor waited a few moments, and then said: "It's not enough to just watch the news with events like these. We need to talk about them."
It seems like every other day, images of bombings, shootings, and scenes of violence appear on the television or in newspapers. In fact, I can not remember the last time that I have not read or watched a story about someone dying, whether it be hundreds of miles away or a block from my school. Perhaps it is because I am an avid news follower. Nonetheless, I have almost become numb to the intense, gratuitous violence that surrounds me at all times.
Of course, violence happens every day. But is it really as massive as the media portrays it? As my teacher went on to say, violence in the media is something that has been talked about for years. Studies have shown that media is more likely to report violence than any other topic. As a saying that I learned in my first journalism class goes, "If it bleeds, it leads."
What does this mean for the Oregon shooting? If it's not enough for the families of those slain to constantly see their loved one's shooter plastered on every edifice of the news media, there is also the possibility of a copycat. For those of you who don't know, a copycat crime is a criminal act that is modeled or inspired by a previous crime that has been reported in the media. So in short, the media is not only creating hysteria about violence, they also may be setting up future crimes to happen. These crimes get reported, and copycat crimes commence. It's a vicious cycle.
The United States is no stranger to mass shootings, especially at schools. Columbine, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, University of California, Santa Barbara, the list goes on with this shooting at Umpqua Community College somewhere at the end. There are already more shootings in the last five years than there were in the entire decade before. These highly-followed violent acts aren't going away; they are getting worse.
Over the past few days, warnings have been issued on some college campuses about a potential copycat crime occurring. Entire school days have been cancelled. Not only does this generate a general state of panic on college campuses, it also hinders the students ability to learn.
Perhaps it is just a natural attraction to violence. There is a reason some people enjoy horror movies, after all. There is something gravitating. That's what makes violent video games so fun, just as it brings in high viewing audiences for television stations.
The media is obviously not entirely to blame for this uptick in violent crime and school shootings. But they aren't helping. I believe the media has the power to shape public opinion, which is a very powerful thing. Therefore, they should use their power for good, to shape minds for the better and improve this nation.
