Though this may be controversial, Postman's idea of news evolving into a showcase to merely grab the attention of millions of viewers has further corrupted the minds of those already mentally disturbed. Murder has always occurred throughout history, but with such advanced forensics we have today, it is more challenging for someone to get away with murder than it has ever been so far. It seems as though because of that, we perceive it as less frequent that murders occur. When the story of a homicide is broadcasted on the news; viewers who don't know the person feel grief, paranoid viewers feel unsafe, passionate viewers seek change, and disturbed viewer get ideas. Since murder is such a frequent occurrence, it is odd how many stories appear on the news as if it were something unheard of. Though I am not saying that a news story about a homicide is unnecessary, but I believe it is not necessary for the murderer to achieve fame for such an atrocious act. It seems as though newscasts on murder always have a section devoted to the life of murderer as if they were a victim. They always receive a short biography on their life that shows their interests, describes their life before the occurrence, and defends them for having a bad experience that made them insane enough to take the lives of another human being. Why shouldn't another deranged person want that for themselves? They get to be on TV! People will see their story and understand them! Of course they wouldn't realize that the viewers wish horrible consequences upon those people. They believe that they will also get recognition for their actions, either because they think people will understand their reasons or because they lived such a disturbed unfulfilled life and wish to get one last chance for people to know who they are, despite it is infamy. There is a case of a man who shot a police officer who spoke the words, "I am going to be famous." For newscasters to put such content on television for millions to see is giving this person EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTED!
Another example of this is when news of the Sandy Hook Shooting was shown in the news across the country, the names of those who lost their lives and the names of those who saved lives were given brief recognition on television, while the man who slaughtered innocent elementary children was given a biography on world wide news. I can honestly say I learned more about that man then the victims of this shooting. They listed his achievements and spoke of his education as if the biggest shame was a disorder he developed that made him turn to violence. I am disgusted to see that news has given these people a way to justify such horrible atrocities and give others reasons to reenact these occurrences. I thank you so much if you have gotten this far and didn't click away after seeing the length of this message. I know many may or may not disagree, so I hope that at least someone will read this and share their opinion. In closing I ask, do you feel it is necessary to allow these horrible people to be broadcasted on the news or do you think they should not be there to represent their wrongdoings for millions to see?
First off, people who kill others are twisted and when they get attention on the news nobody (I hope) is congratulating them for their crime. When people see a murder on television one of the first things they might think is, "why?". So as a result the news will tell viewers the murderers background and any mental diseases to try to explain why he might have committed murder.
ReplyDeleteThough your opinion is entirely true and I too wish to know as to why a person killed someone, there are always people out there who see these biographies and feel sorry for their insufficiency of mental stability. Some would defend that it is not their fault and it is to blame on a disability they possess. What I also meant was that the deranged people who kill for fame are deranged enough to believe that they are receiving fame rather than the blood boiled at the utterance of their name. Feeding the public's curiosity comes at a price. So if we can't change their perception on their news appearance, what would you suggest to prevent this from happening?
DeleteSomeone actually said "I am going to be famous" after shooting an officer? That man must have been seriously insane if all he worried about after he killed the officer was fame. What's even worse is that the news is giving them that satisfaction. I don't understand why we need to know everything about a person who has just killed. Yes David, people usually wonder "why," and the obvious answer is that the person had an issue. This is where I completely agree with Sarah. After a murder, the focus should be n the victims and those who helped. They are the ones who deserve the peoples' attention, not the ones who took their lives.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up an excellent point here, Sarah. It is unfortunate how murderers are given extensive amounts of attention for something that is totally immoral. In the example you brought specifically, the Sandy Hook School Shooting, the only person's name that I remember is the name of the man who shot up the school. I regretfully don't recall the names of any of the children or teachers which goes to show how media does not give attention to the people who need it most, the victims and the families of the suffering. I do not believe it should be necessary for the media to show the people who killed others. The attention of the people who watch the media should be shifted onto the victims of the crime. The children and teachers who were killed at the Sandy Hook Shooting in Newton, CT should be remembered. Their names, faces, and backgrounds should be remember for the rest of history, not the person who committed the crime.
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