Essay Sample on Impact of Media and Public Perceptions

Introduction

The media plays a huge role in the society in providing information as well as providing a viewpoint concerning issues affecting society. In the case of mass shootings, the media shapes the viewpoints of society regarding the issue. In most cases, the media investigates the shootings, the intentions of the attackers and the motive behind the attack. As such, it helps society to have a better understanding of mass shootings and what needs to be done to prevent future cases of mass shootings (Jewkes & Linnemann, 2017). The media drive the viewpoint of such violence, and the community will align their understanding and perception of this kind of violence based on the narrative of the media.

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The attacks of 1927 and 1999 shares similarities on how it was orchestrated and the target population. The main similarity is that the attacks targeted school going children who are harmless and do not pose any threat to the public (Bockler et al., 2013). The other similarity is that both led to mass causalities and drew the attention of the media and the entire public regarding mass shootings. The difference of these attacks is that one person orchestrated the first while the other involved two students (Bockler et al., 2013). Besides, the attackers in the 1999 shooting were part of the casualties while the first attack only had school children as the casualties.

I believe that school children are now safe compared to the past. The increased cases of school shootings have helped to beef up security in most schools. Previously, schools did not have guards who placed schools as an easy target for mass shooting. The government has been at the forefront to protect students by increasing security patrols around the school (Jewkes & Linnemann, 2017). There have been suggestions to have teachers carry guns to school. Even though the move has been criticized, it is intended to enhance response to attacks in schools. Besides, there is a discussion on gun control aimed at limiting young people from carrying guns that could be used in engaging in violent activities.

The media spreads information about crime and propagates the stereotype of crime. There have been numerous cases where the media has been faulted for spreading stereotype on crime. In the recent past, the media has always given suggestions that African Americans are highly like to engage in crime (McCombs, 2018). Even though there have been isolated cases involving the blacks, the narrative that they are violent and criminal is a stereotype that has easily found its way through the media. How the media portray crime creates a stereotype which could further increase criminal behavior or lead to discrimination to a group of people.

Conclusion

The use of social media and other technologies have enhanced news reporting. Social media provides immediate coverage of criminal activities which has improved response time by law enforcement authorities. The reliance on social media means that the public can now report any suspicious activity to the police (McCombs, 2018). The perception of crime has changed with the use of social media as the society now believes that it has the responsibility of helping the police in ensuring that there is order. The scrutiny of crime by the public is now easier compared to traditional media channels that were slow and could easily be manipulated to fit a given narrative.

References

Bockler, N., Seeger, T., Sitzer, P., & Heitmeyer, W. (2013). School shootings: Conceptual framework and international empirical trends. In School shootings (pp. 1-24). Springer, New York, NY.

Jewkes, Y., & Linnemann, T. (2017). Media and Crime in the US. Sage Publications.

McCombs, M. (2018). Setting the agenda: Mass media and public opinion. John Wiley & Sons.