Multiple Murder and the Media: A Study of the Reporting of Multiple Murder in "The Times" (1887-1990)

• NCJ Number: 173234
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Psychiatry Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Dated: May 1996 Pages: 114-129
• Author(s): L Danson; K Soothill
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 16 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This study examines how The (London) Times reported multiple murder during the period 1887 to 1990.

Abstract

During the 104 years under examination The Times reported 2,274 cases of murder, of which 237 (or 10 percent) involved multiple killing. Up until the last decade (1980-90), multiple killing was primarily a family matter. During the years 1887-1890, around the time of the original Ripper cases, there was an early use of reports from abroad which obscured the reality of multiple killing in England. From the mid-1890s to the mid-1970s, the remarkable feature is the paucity of reports of multiple killings in The Times. However, the incredible rise in reports of multiple killings outside the family context in the most recent decade (1980-90) shows that they are much more widespread than the crimes of child murder and serial killing which have been highlighted by the media. The theoretical puzzle to confront is why the phenomenon of multiple killing has recently expanded in so many guises. Tables, notes, references