National, Regional and Local News

[Suliso]

Google say 45 mass shootings in US last month (4 or more dead and wounded).

[Deuce]

And the more attention they're given, the more they will continue - and even increase.

[ti-amie]

And the more attention they're given, the more they will continue - and even increase.

Should they be ignored?

[Deuce]

And the more attention they're given, the more they will continue - and even increase.

Should they be ignored?

Yes, they absolutely should be ignored by the media.
What purpose does it serve to report them, other than to provide people with fodder for gossip?
The only people who need to know when they happen are the families of the people involved. For the rest of us, it is literally just gossip - so we can all talk about 'how terrible it is', etc.
That's nowhere near a justifiable reason to report them.

As media coverage of these events increases, the number of these events increases. That's not at all a co-incidence. The internet has, of course, helped to put an even brighter spotlight on them.

A lot of the people who commit these mass killings do so at least partially because they want to be 'famous' - or, rather, infamous. Many of them send letters or E mails to TV stations right before they commit the act. Others, if they are cornered, ask to negotiate through the media. It's quite clear that they want the world to pay attention to them.
If the media refused to give them a stage, which acts as a type of incentive, or motivation, then these mass killings would occur less often. It's the same dynamic as when the school bully is ignored, he'll stop bullying. But as long as he keeps getting a reaction from people, he'll continue.

[Suliso]

How do you not report if your local school is being shot up and 1/3 of kids are dead?

[Deuce]

Yes - keep reporting them and giving them attention and sensationalizing them.
And I absolutely 100% guarantee that the number of these types of events will continue to increase - as history has shown.

Bravo.

[ponchi101]

...

Should they be ignored?

Yes, they absolutely should be ignored by the media.
...
If the media refused to give them a stage, which acts as a type of incentive, or motivation, then these mass killings would occur less often. It's the same dynamic as when the school bully is ignored, he'll stop bullying. But as long as he keeps getting a reaction from people, he'll continue.

Sorry Deuce, but I don't know how many times you have dealt with bullies. Bullies stop when they are confronted and punched back. Other than that, they continue with the terror.
What would be your proposed solution? Ignore the problem until it "goes away"?

[Suliso]

Some things have to be reported regardless of consequences. It's unfortunate, but can't hide the truth like that. It would be on Facebook and Youtube anyway. Besides if nothing happened how do you ask public for help in catching these people?

[Deuce]

Some things have to be reported regardless of consequences. It's unfortunate, but can't hide the truth like that. It would be on Facebook and Youtube anyway. Besides if nothing happened how do you ask public for help in catching these people?

Yes... that's worked fabulously so far, huh?
The media has been reporting these things since the beginning. And, as media has increased, the coverage has increased. And, as the coverage has increased, the number of mass killings has increased. 2+2=4. There is a direct correlation.
If an approach isn't working, you change it and try something else - period. Especially when people's lives are at stake. It's not rocket science.

Sorry Deuce, but I don't know how many times you have dealt with bullies. Bullies stop when they are confronted and punched back. Other than that, they continue with the terror.
What would be your proposed solution? Ignore the problem until it "goes away"?

I certainly would not equate sensationalistic media coverage with punching a bully. If anything, media coverage is simply stroking the bully's ego.
And I maintain that bullies do what they do in order to get a reaction; to have an effect on others. If people show that they're not affected, the bully will go off and seek other people who ARE affected by his actions.

I said that THE MEDIA should ignore these events - because media coverage has proven over and over to have no positive effect, and, in fact, only incites more and more of these events, because the people who commit these mass killings are not rationally thinking people.
That's very different from saying that everyone should ignore these events. The police, medical professionals, court systems, etc. obviously should not ignore these events.

I can't think of any positive effect the media coverage of these events accomplishes. It's simply fodder for gossip. And people are so bloody brainwashed today to accept this and not question it.
On the other hand, the correlation between increased media coverage and the increased number of mass killings is an easy and rather obvious one to make.

At this point, it's pretty obvious that ceasing all media coverage of these events will not do any harm. And there is certainly evidence that it will help to diminish their number.
There is nothing to lose - so why don't we try it to see what happens? Because of our insatiable appetite for sensationalism and gossip?

Sigh...

[ti-amie]

If you don't report them people will just make ish up. After all what are conspiracy theories but peoples imaginations run amuck?

For example:

"Were 20 people shot and killed by unknown forces? Has a foreign army invaded our shores? Why won't the media cover these atrocities? Arm yourself or you and your family may be next."

[ti-amie]

The NRA trial is underway in NYC. It's going pretty much as you would expect. LaPierre is on the stand now. This is funny though.

[Deuce]

If you don't report them people will just make ish up. After all what are conspiracy theories but peoples imaginations run amuck?

For example:

"Were 20 people shot and killed by unknown forces? Has a foreign army invaded our shores? Why won't the media cover these atrocities? Arm yourself or you and your family may be next."

That's an extremely poor excuse to keep the media coverage going.

People are being killed by the dozen by people who do not think rationally. The people who commit these killings do not think of the consequences - obviously. They are trying to send a message. And if they believe - in their irrational minds - that their message will be transmitted to millions of people via the media, then media coverage becomes motivation and incentive for more and more of these troubled people to commit more and more of these killings.

You can give me any reason you like that media coverage of these events should continue. And not one of those reasons will come close to justifying its continuation - because, as history shows, that will guarantee that more and more people are killed. And there is nothing worse than that.

[ponchi101]

It would seem you have it backwards, and mixing correlation with causation. The media covers these events because they happen, they do not happen because the media covers them.
And about history showing this: quite the opposite. The cases in Australia, Dumblane and Oslo show that AFTER an event like this one happens, IF proper laws are passed, the events cease. All three events were covered to such an extent that even a movie has been made about one of them (Oslo). Yet, they have not been repeated.

[dryrunguy]

This shooting is different, though. Last I read, they are having a difficult time identifying this guy. Most of these guys WANT you to know who they are/were. So that detail alone makes this event markedly different.

The other thing that's odd is that several witnesses reported that the man walked in and was shouting--but no one could understand anything he was saying. Either he was shouting in something other than English or he was shouting gibberish.

[mmmm8]

Don't have to go far.... I'm two blocks from Times Square right now

Man with AK-47 assault rifle arrested in Times Square subway station
An Ohio man was busted with an AK-47 assault rifle and a gas mask inside a Times Square subway station Friday afternoon, law enforcement sources said.

The 18-year-old, whose identity was not immediately released, was taken into custody without incident around 12:30 p.m. on the mezzanine level of the subway station off the A, C and E line, the sources said.

Sources say the man was sitting down and charging his cellphone inside the station with the weapon out next to him in plain sight when a uniformed transit cop spotted him.

The AK-47 was unloaded, but the teen had a fully loaded magazine in his backpack, along with the gas mask, according to the sources.

He told police he thought carrying an unloaded rifle with the ammunition stored separately is legal in New York City, a high-ranking police source said.

https://nypost.com/2021/04/16/man-with- ... y-station/