Media Should Be 'Ashamed' Over School Shooting Coverage

Writer knocks press for "ghoulish mentality"

The news media has a lot to answer for about coverage of the CT elementary school massacre. That's the take of Matt Lewis, a leading conservative writer, in The Week.

Lewis lays out a bill of particulars against the press. "The media originally reported the wrong name of the alleged shooter. (The suspected killer was Ryan Lanza, they breathlessly reported. Turns out it was actually Ryan's brother, Adam.) Then, some in the media advertised Ryan's Facebook and Twitter page."

"As if those cases of egregiously mistaken identity weren't enough, producers and reporters began trolling Twitter, seeking to proposition friends and relatives of the victims for an interview."

Lewis suggests competitive pressures get the worst of journalists in crisis situations, and that it's time for some tough love.

"I know what you're thinking: Free societies are inherently messy. And what about the First Amendment?" he writes. "I'm not suggesting we completely abolish the media. But perhaps we should curtail it. Isn't it time for some common sense media control?"

Via The Week.

How would you rate coverage of the Connecticut school shooting tragedy?

[Calfkiller]

CNN and MSNBC should anyhow

[Pack7]

I agree. I was appalled at the coverage of those two networks. They have no shame.

[UnCommonBoston]

Why are we surprised? The media has been failing us for a while.

[Pack7]

@UnCommonBoston
I agree.

[CanisCanemEdit]

We know have another glorified tragedy complete with dead childrens bodies and grieving siblings sobbing on every network and newspaper.

Congratulations to the media on all sides.

You have set up the goals for the next mentally disturbed individual to attempt to beat.

Way to go.

[methinks]

Ratings are everything...damn the feelings of the victim's families...and the rest of us for that matter!

[Calfkiller]

good point.

[Calfkiller]

I think the media is 50% responsible for this kind of nonsense. Take a nutjob and show him how to make a name for himself then sit back and rake in the ratings acting like they have no idea how they would even think of doing something like this.

[woodtick57]

@methinks

VERY good point. I bet the stations with the most, and most sensationalized, coverage had the highest ratings....

[woodtick57]

@Calfkiller Who is it that cretes those ratings?

[Neo_NtheMatrix]

The press coverage of this tragedy has been atrocious, complete with the leftist media harassing traumatized little 6- and 7-year-old children for interviews. The left completely wet themselves in euphoria over this news. Guess what, it won't end in gun control. It wasn't a lack of gun control that caused this tragedy, and banning guns won't prevent it. The media simply must step up and stop lowering itself to the level of ambulance chasers.

[Calfkiller]

The problem with your post is that the left doesn't deal in reality and facts. They deal in emotion and staged outrage. No doubt anyone should be outraged but the left looses all sight of logic. Forget the number of people saved by firearms.

[Republican5001]

Agreed

[HPthinker]

the problem is your blaming the left for what is clearly greed. The leftist media isn't suposed to be greedy making money on the backs of children "WRONG AGAIN!"

[Calfkiller]

@HPthinker yeah that works just swell if you forget that CNN and MSNBC are the mainstream leftist media. MSNBC more so than cnn

[kyam333]

@Calfkiller is it a 100000 a yr

[Bobolinsky]

Vulture-tweeting ABC producer disappears from social media after Conn. massacre
http://dailycaller.com/2012/12/17/vulture-twe...

MSNBC GUEST SAYS WE SHOULD PROFILE ‘WHITE MEN’ AS SCHOOL SHOOTERS
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/msnbc-guest-s...

Twitter, Facebook and Ryan Lanza: how tragedy turns social media users into crazed amateur detectives
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/micwr...

But stuff like that isn't unheard of...

Why did New York Times call George Zimmerman ‘white Hispanic’?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemp...

Aurora Shooting: ABC's Brian Ross Incorrectly Suggests Tea Party Link (VIDEO)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/20/bria...

[methinks]

I'm not going to politicize this. The media, all inclusive, is in your face with this 24/7. Even the local news is in on it with "local connections" to the victims.

I stopped watching the news this weekend. Every news program from the networks is all over this like stink on shit and it stinks to high heaven.

It's just sickening.

[methinks]

Actually, I was watching the Christmas specials on ABC Family and AMC. Tonight is the second night of AMC's 3 day broadcast of the 1984 George C Scott version of A Christmas Carol, which has become my favorite. It's great with Edward Woodward (The Equalizer) as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Susannah York (Lara from Superman I and II) as Mrs. Cratchit, David Warner as Bob Cratchit, and even Michael Gough (Alfred from the Batman movies) as Mr. Poole. I'm going to watch it again tonight instead of the nightly opinion shows, which will still be focused on this mess in CT.

Merry Christmas everyone.

[woodtick57]

Since one has to actively turn on 'the media' , it would be hard to say they are 'in your face'. it would be more accurate to say you stuck your face into it.

[methinks]

@woodtick57 No! I like to watch the news to see what's going on locally and nationally, but every newscast on every network is covering this ad nauseam. This "event" has happened, and unlike a large natural disaster where you need the news to find out pertinent information, we don't need hour upon hour coverage of all the back stories and personal stories of the families, responders, people living down the street etc.

Again, it's just too much, so I shut it off.

[woodtick57]

@methinks See? You do have control over it. I keep current with my local and national news using sources that did not force me to listen to coverage of the shooting tragedy. try online sources where you can pick and choose which stories you read...

[methinks]

@woodtick57 But the whole point of this conversation is that the media is overdoing it to the point of insanity. Wouldn't you agree?

[Calfkiller]

I'm not even going to vote on this poll. It is misleading and vague.

[stepped_in_it]

Same poop, different story. The "media" is (and has always been) a money first, story second conglomeration. Before TV/cable news, it was newspapers. There never has been "responsible" journalism since man first learn how to express himself in writing. The nature of the beast?

[PayThatCEO]

Maybe the problem is the media-hungry viewers who like to gorge themselves on violence and other people's pain and misery.

I watched the president's speech last night and read news articles on the internet. Other than that, I avoided televised coverage. Stop watching the damn news 24/7. The negativity of that and political pundits is ruining this country.

[FFX_VA]

Isn't there a code of ethics for news reporters? Maybe it needs some teeth. By definition a professional organization is supposed to self-regulate, I don't see this happening. The NFL fines players and teams, why not news organizations?

[Calfkiller]

They could start by not interviewing children who are lucky to be alive, and adults who are obviously under severe emotional duress. I argued with someone on here the other night that was adamantly blaming the parents for allowing the media (CNN and MSNBC) to interview the children. The parents had to have been under as much if not more stress than the children. They never should have been approached to begin with under the circumstances.

[woodtick57]

Should there be a code of ethics for news viewers?

[FFX_VA]

@woodtick57 No, now that wasn't a very well thought out response.

I wonder if there can be teeth added to this: http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp

[woodtick57]

@FFX_VA

it is the viewers that drive the content. Don't watch the hyped, sensationalized coverage and it will go away.

[FFX_VA]

@woodtick57 Ah, got ya. Yes that's true, very true

[MarkJM]

All the networks, FoxNews, MSNBC, CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, etc. It's one thing to report the shooting, it's completely another to interview children afterwards as well as blaring the photo of Adam Lanza all over the place. These "journalists" should ALL be ashamed of themselves. The children should've especially been left off limits. They're already scarred for life, they shouldn't have to re-live that horrid incident because some jackass wants a ratings grab.

[NormalFlora]

In the rush to get out information, any information, the broadcast outlets seized on any and all rumors and put them on air. The mom was an elementary teacher at the school. She was shot in the school. He shot his brother in Hoboken. And when they ran out of rumors they put little children in front of cameras and asked them leading questions such as "We're you frightened? Do you think you'll have bad dreams over this? Did you actually see your friends get shot? Did you look at the gunman? Did you think you were going to die?" And before the predictable few blame only CNN and MSNBC, they ALL were guilty, even your beloved Fox.

[Thunderchicken]

The first reports I heard had the shooter killing his father and girlfriend and girlfriend's friend.

I've been involved in a few events that have made local and national media. In the rush to get the story out they often make substantial mistakes.

[MongoAPillager]

the media and the government loves this kind of stuff,they can hold focus the public's attention on this for weeks and work out their schemes against America without scrutiny

[gammler]

"If it bleeds it leads" is an awful way to report on a story such as this. There isn't much that can be said positively concerning how the media reported the story.

[WMCOL]

I'd like to see the media note that if the shooters mother was not killed she'd be charged with liability for allowing guns into the hands of a person she knows first hand to be mentally unstable. She had sought help for her sons mentall illness but yet took him to shooting range and let him shoot and otherwise made guns accessible to him. All of the gun regulation designed to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally unstable was thrown out the window by this boys mother. She just as much as her son, killed those people at that school in Newtown.

[ST_Louie_Sue]

Oh, so sue Louisville Slugger, Inc for all bat related murders? How about Broyhill Furniture for a chair bashed over someone's head? Case Knife Co? The Mom didn't do it, her son did.

[WMCOL]

@ST_Louie_Sue
>>>The Mom didn't do it, her son did. <<<

Yes, aided by his mother's omission and negligence. It was within the mothers ability to restrict gun access to a person known to her to be mentally unstable: her son. She did not exercise the care required to make her guns inaccessible to him. She let him get to those guns, no one else did.

[PayThatCEO]

@WMCOL

I agree. I heard so many stories of people who have loaded weapons in the house with someone who is being treated for mental illness or is depressed or suicidal. The owner of a gun should bear the responsibility of actions taken with that gun (beyond being stolen).

At one time, my own son had a drug problem. During that time I took my own guns and left them with my father, hidden away in his attic. There was no way I was going to leave those guns in my house with someone who was using drugs and half the time threatening suicide. That was just an invitation to disaster. And yes, he might very well have hung himself or taken an overdose of something, but for sure he wasn't going to put a gun to his head.

[Cynthetik]

@ST_Louie_Sue you're forgetting that it was his own mother's own stupidity that contributed to this tragedy. If she were still alive, she would be in jail for providing assault weapons to a person she knew was incapacitated.

[ST_Louie_Sue]

@Cynthetik Really? Ad which law is that?

[DerivePI]

Perhaps instead of blaming the media, we should blame ourselves for continuing to support the same News outlets that perpetrate these egregious behaviors. We tell them what we want to watch and they try to feed our appetite.

I haven't watched any news stories or read any articles (other than headlines) on this tragedy since hearing about it. Maybe in a couple of weeks I'll catch up, but right now the families and community deserve their space.

[dances-weebles]

i have a question... why are news and politics considered entertainment by american viewers?

[SavageMazx]

Good point

[RobertJHarsh]

CNN and MSNBC have exploited the tragedy the worst. At least Fox is being a bit more "restrained" and instead hauling in expert after expert. It is also worth mentioning that MSNBC and CNN in particular are pushing the gun control propaganda.

[Your_Name_Here]

The only thing that trumps this media circus is Bloomberg using it to pimp his anti-gun agenda before the bodies were even cold.

[Zazziness]

And yet here you are with a comment that pimps the pro-gun agenda. I guess the bodies are probably cold now, though. Does that really make a difference?

[Your_Name_Here]

@Zazziness You are so typical - if I'm not for one then I must be for the other, right? If it's not in someone's comment then you will just go ahead and add it? I said nothing about pro-gun, did I? I don't even own a gun. You must have voted for Obama because you're not making any sense and everyone who voted for him doesn't make sense. Got it now?

[FenceSitter K]

Thanks for your comments everyone. Just a reminder that we don't allow personal insults or attacks on Politix; these type of comments don't add much to the conversation/discourse.

Thanks for keeping Politix civil.

http://politix.topix.com/about/community

- FenceSitter

[raywenk]

people dont dont play by the rules and laws in this world thats why things are the way they are . people drive there cars drunk people drive with no car inns. people drive with no drivers licineiecs . every thing is rush rush people our at breaking ponits because there under paid gas is hige life is streess full on them they aer over worked you name it there many things in life people do even the media has flauts but im sure it was there in-tention to do or bring harm to the matter . just like anything i think they were trying to inform the nation of a live lifes event . a tradigety and doing the best they could with what they had to work with at the time .

[raywenk]

@Calfkiller yes-em it is . porf reader iam who iam and i do the best i can typeing or outher wise long as i got my point across works for me i sure theres many people who cant spell but i try my bestest ,, sorry your hateing on it ..

[raywenk]

@raywenk play it loud youtube we are the world we are the childern . thats my song im sending out for all those kids ... god bless the usa.

[raywenk]

@raywenk im takeing a pitcure of my hands so you can see why sometimes i cant type or i hit the wrong keys on the key board maybe you will have more understanding as to why sometimes its hard to type and or spell for me .