NCJ Number
186042
Date Published
2000
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This analysis of the relationship between violence at schools and media coverage of school violence considers whether criticisms of the media for their possible role in fomenting violence is reasonable and whether it is reasonable to expect the news media to ignore or downplay violence when it occurs in schools.
Abstract
The discussion notes that the media historically have selectively covered crime in general in that violence in minority communities has not received the amount of coverage that the same incident receives if it occurs in affluent white neighborhoods. Potential impacts include increased fear of youth violence and the possibility of copycat incidents in situations such as bomb threats. Debates over media coverage should distinguish between print and television portrayals. Violence is also rampant in media entertainment that makes no pretense of being journalism, although it is unclear whether such fare is so readily available because people want it or whether people turn to it because it is so easy to obtain. Media responsibility includes avoiding making small occurrences into major incidents and should respect privacy. Other issues relate to schools’ zero-tolerance policies on violence and changes in news reporting as a result of the Internet. 22 references