Mental Illness, the Media, and the Moral Politics of Mass Violence

2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (6) ◽  
pp. 766-797 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott W. Duxbury ◽  
Laura C. Frizzell ◽  
Sadé L. Lindsay
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Black Men ◽  
News Media ◽  
White Men ◽  
Mass Shootings ◽  
Mass Violence ◽  
Latino Men ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Moral Politics ◽  
The Media

Objectives: We examine how news media portrays the causes of mass shootings for shooters of different races. Specifically, we explore whether White men are disproportionately framed as mentally ill, and what narratives media tend to invoke when covering mass shootings through the lens of mental illness as opposed to other explanatory frames. Methods: The study examines a unique data set of 433 news documents covering 219 mass shootings between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2015. It analyzes the data using a mixed methods approach, combining logistic regression with content analysis. Results: Quantitative findings show that Whites and Latinos are more likely to have their crime attributed to mental illness than Blacks. Qualitative findings show that rhetoric within these discussions frame White men as sympathetic characters, while Black and Latino men are treated as perpetually violent threats to the public. Conclusions: Results suggest that there is racial variability in how the media assign blame to mass shooters. While Black men and Latinos are cast as violently inclined, White men are treated as victims or sympathetic characters. Results also indicate that there are noteworthy differences in how blame is assigned to Black men and Latinos.

A Historical Perspective on the “Mental Illness as Motive” Narrative

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-62
Author(s):  
Cassandra Kearney
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
News Media ◽  
Historical Perspective ◽  
Perceived Threat ◽  
Mass Shootings ◽  
The Public ◽  
Historical Significance ◽  
Mass Shooting ◽  
The Media

In an effort to better understand the historical significance of the “mental illness as motive” narrative, this essay investigates what has been recognized as the first mass shooting in the modern United States—Howard Unruh’s 1949 mass shoot¬ing in Camden, New Jersey. Given that mass shootings were an unprecedented phenomenon, the news media played an important role in explaining the event. As will be shown, many Americans felt uncertain about how mental illness man¬ifested and who was vulnerable. Given the often undisclosed, albeit perceived threat of schizophrenia, the public needed reassurance that there would be some indicator of insanity. Accordingly, the media used evidence of religious fanaticism and unfavorable physical descriptions of Unruh to cast him as separate, outside, or an “other.” Ultimately, the media’s rhetorical choices differentiated Unruh and attempted to make mental illness easier to identify for an audience afraid of its influence.

Aberration of mind or soul: the role of media in perceptions of mass violence

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 209-222
Author(s):  
Lauren T. Meaux ◽  
Stephanie C. Doran ◽  
Jennifer M. Cox
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
News Media ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
Media Consumption ◽  
Mass Violence ◽  
Content Type ◽  
National Debate ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Violent Acts ◽  
Unexpected Findings

Purpose Unconscious biases against certain groups aid in forming assumptions which may be promulgated in the USA via popular news media linking rare but memorable violent acts with specific groups. However, the relationship between marginalized group association, assumptions regarding the motive for violent acts and individual media consumption has never been directly examined. This study aims to directly examine this relationship. Design/methodology/approach In the present study, individuals read a vignette of a mass shooting in which the perpetrator’s implied religion (i.e. Islam or unknown religion) was manipulated. Participants then indicated their assumptions regarding motive (i.e. terrorism or mental illness) and personal media consumption habits. Findings Contrary to hypotheses, differences in assumed motive based on implied religion were not found; participants were not more likely to associate an assumed Muslim perpetrator with terrorism as a motive or consider the assumed non-Muslim perpetrator to be mentally ill. Originality/value These unexpected findings are discussed in the context of the data-collection period, which coincidentally overlapped with a well-publicized act of domestic terrorism that led to a unique national debate regarding biased news coverage and associations between religion, ethnicity, terrorism and mental illness.

scholarly journals Three Futures Scenarios of Policy Instruments for Sustainable Textile Production and Consumption as Portrayed in the Finnish News Media

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 594
Author(s):  
Laura Virta ◽  
Riikka Räisänen
Keyword(s):  
News Media ◽  
Corporate Responsibility ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Textile Production ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Current State ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
The Media

This research uses futures studies as background methodology and presents three scenarios for sustainable textile production and consumption based on the data of the Finnish news media. The scenarios extend to 2050, and the emphasis is on recognising policy instruments that can potentially support sustainable textile production and consumption. The first data set included 214 news articles from 2019 that were analysed using theory-guided qualitative content analysis. The second data set consisted of five textile experts’ evaluations of the probability and preferability of claims based on the first data set. As a result, a table of future scenarios was created, including descriptions of the current state and preferable, threatening and probable textile futures. The data show that textile and fashion sustainability issues are strongly presented in the media as part of the comprehensive climate-change-driven criticism of consumerism. The data emphasised a need for a holistic change in production and consumption. The most likely forms of policy instruments appear to be stronger corporate responsibility legislation (regulatory), environmental taxation of goods and services (economic), and eco-labelling of goods and services (information). These help in reaching the preferable scenario for 2050, which suggests a carbon-neutral textile production based on a circular economy.

Media Salience and Mass Murder

2018 ◽  
pp. 129-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaclyn Schildkraut ◽  
Glenn W. Muschert
Keyword(s):  
News Media ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mass Murder ◽  
Time Dimension ◽  
Mass Shootings ◽  
Space Frames ◽  
Columbine High School ◽  
Mass Shooting ◽  
The Media

Mass shootings in the United States continue to be a cause for national concern both for the public and politicians alike. A key component in this pervasive discourse is the news media, which, since most people never will directly experience a mass shooting or other episodic violent crime, acts as the main source for information about these and other crime events. The present study analyzes the media coverage and framing patterns of 12 years of public mass shootings following the 1999 attack at Columbine High School. A two-dimensional analytic model is used to examine framing at both the spatial and temporal levels. The findings indicate that while the framing across the time dimension remains consistent with previous research, the use of the space frames departs from previous research, indicating a shift in the coverage. These findings and their associated implications for policy responses to mass shootings also are considered.

scholarly journals News Media Coverage of Mass Shootings: How the Political Stance of News Media Influences the Coverage of Mass Shooters

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joyce Zheng ◽  
Franco Scardino
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
News Media ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
The Political ◽  
Mass Shootings ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods

Gun violence is a major public health issue in the United States and the news media has the power to sway the public’s opinions and beliefs on cases of mass shootings. The purpose of this research was to find “to what extent does the political bias of news media sources influence their portrayal of mental illness and violence when covering mass shootings?” The study followed an exploratory design, combining qualitative and quantitative methods for data collection and analysis. This study looked at 20 mass shootings listed on an open-sourced database from 2012-2016 and includes 108 news articles from 6 news media from the political spectrum. The relative frequency bar graphs showed that no news media outlets have a higher or more significant mention of “dangerousness” of mass shooters and the portrayal of mental illness in news articles. The Chi-Square test demonstrated that there was no substantial evidence to establish if there was or was not a link between the keyword use and median political leaning. Though the result does not support the hypothesis, the result does show news media in general does have a correlation with an increased stigma against mental illness. This knowledge can determine the roots of the misrepresentation of mental illness in relation to violence to educate the public and the news media better to stem the stigma against people with mental illness and more effective gun policies.

Changes in Media Reporting of Suicide in Australia Between 2000/01 and 2006/07

Crisis ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Pirkis ◽  
Andrew Dare ◽  
R. Warwick Blood ◽  
Bree Rankin ◽  
Michelle Williamson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
News Media ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Media Report ◽  
Media Reporting ◽  
Descriptive Information ◽  
Quality Ratings ◽  
Item Quality ◽  
The Media ◽  
Almost All

Aims. To evaluate changes in Australian news media reporting of suicide between 2000/01 and 2006/07 against recommendations in the resource Reporting Suicide and Mental Illness. Methods. Newspaper, television, and radio items on suicide were retrieved over two 12-month periods pre- and postintroduction of Reporting Suicide and Mental Illness. Identifying and descriptive information were extracted for each item. Quality ratings were made for a stratified random sample of items, using criteria from the precursor to Reporting Suicide and Mental Illness. Results and Conclusions. There was almost a two-fold increase in reporting of suicide during the study period, with 4,813 and 8,363 items retrieved in 2000/01 and 2006/07, respectively. The nature of media reporting showed some variability, with an increased emphasis on items about individuals’ experiences and a reduced emphasis on policy and program initiatives. Most strikingly, there was significant improvement on almost all individual dimensions of quality and overall quality. These findings are positive, although there are still clearly some opportunities for improving the way in which the media report and portray suicide. In order to improve standards, continued support should be provided for the dissemination and evaluation of Reporting Suicide and Mental Illness.

scholarly journals The News Media Representation of Acts of Mass Violence in Indonesia

2021 ◽  
pp. 127-140
Author(s):  
Cecep Mustafa
Keyword(s):  
News Media ◽  
The State ◽  
Media Representation ◽  
Mass Violence ◽  
Presentation Method ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Way ◽  
Election Cycles

The chapter discusses how the news media have presented specific aspects of the state of mass violence actions. This chapter explores how the presentation of mass violence has been portrayed in the Indonesian news media during the most recent election cycles and beyond. The researchers explore 2018 and 2019 for the Indonesian national news media's representation of mass violence. This chapter explores the presence of mass violence by the use of selected media. This chapter compares the presentation of mass violence by Indonesian newspapers. The study used an analysis, qualitative presentation method. The analysis of qualitative presentation is considered as the most appropriate method to explore the presentation of mass violence in the Indonesian news media. The results presented in this chapter illustrate the way in which the media describes and informs the citizens of mass violence in the region.

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