Fame-seeking mass shooters get more media coverage, study finds

Is it time media outlets stop publishing the names and photographs of mass shooters?

Shutterstock
  • The study examined mass shootings from 1966 to 2018, finding that shootings have become more common and more deadly since 2000.
  • The results showed that fame-seeking mass shooters received significantly higher media coverage than their counterparts, with 97 percent of fame-seeking mass shooters getting a mention from the New York Times.
  • Recent research shows connections between the amount of media coverage on mass shootings and their likelihood to occur shortly after.
Keep reading Show less
guns journalism media violence

Too many people think satirical news is real

Americans' inability to agree on what is true and what is false is a problem for democracy.

KMazur/WireImage

In July, the website Snopes published a piece fact-checking a story posted on The Babylon Bee, a popular satirical news site with a conservative bent.

Keep reading Show less
news trust politics democracy internet journalism

Where the evidence of fake news is really hiding

When it comes to sniffing out whether a source is credible or not, even journalists can sometimes take the wrong approach.

  • We all think that we're competent consumers of news media, but the research shows that even journalists struggle with identifying fact from fiction.
  • When judging whether a piece of media is true or not, most of us focus too much on the source itself. Knowledge has a context, and it's important to look at that context when trying to validate a source.
  • The opinions expressed in this video do not necessarily reflect the views of the Charles Koch Foundation, which encourages the expression of diverse viewpoints within a culture of civil discourse and mutual respect.
Keep reading Show less
media politics data internet journalism

Bank loans at 'unimaginable' interest rates: How the Spanish press became corrupted

A new book from the former editor of El Mundo describes a culture of corruption in Spain's press. In exchange for favorable coverage of politicians and corporations, bribes.

Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket via Getty Images
  • David Jiménez, former editor of El Mundo, recently published a book called El Director that describes the rampant corruption he saw while running the newspaper.
  • The corruption of Spanish press is symptomatic of a larger issue with corruption that is on-going in Spain.
  • Most recently, the People's Party was ousted from power after a massive corruption scandal, leading to the rise of the Spanish Socialist Worker's Party. However, whether El Mundo can escape from the culture of corruption it experienced under the previous regime remains to be seen.
Keep reading Show less
europe government journalism media politics corruption

How the media stokes compassion. And why it's a double-edged sword.

Compassion is one of several news values that determine if a story is published.

HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP/Getty Images
  • How the media frame a story can influence who the audience feels compassionate toward.
  • Part of telling a story requires combatting inherent obstacles to sustained compassion.
  • Compassion is one of several news values that determine if a story is published.
Keep reading Show less
media immigration journalism trust compassion