School Shootings and Active Shooter and the Media - Research Paper Example

School shootings and active shooter and the media School shootings and active shooter and the media Introduction School shooting is an incidence in which gun ferocity takes place at an informative institution. It involve a weapon being discharged at school organization, and may refer to incidents of bombardments on a school or any educational organization. This act may happen any place in the world where there is a contact of firearms. This shooting have flashed a political discussion over whether guns should be allowed in the school or if there should be transfer gun control. There are prominent school shootings in Europe, Asia, ocean region, United State among others with United State bringing the highest number of school-related shootings. This act has obtained wide media attention and are frequent in the United State of America. They have resulted in countrywide change of schools’ rules concerning discipline and security. Among the reasons for this shooting are school bullying and psychiatric drugs. (Schechter DS February 16, 2011) Schools bullying public seems to play a big part in the lives of many of the school shooters. It consists of the criminal, casualty and one or more witness. This create public disgrace for the victim. The victim being disheartened develop depression, poor social skills and do worse in school performance. Psychiatric drugs has caused hostility, ferocity murderous ideation, and zone of high profile of school shootings. At least 41 school shootings are committed by those taking these drugs. (Schechter DS February 16, 2011). Apart from school shootings, there is also a rise in active shooters. The active shooters specifically engage in killings or try to kill people in a limited population area. They also use rifles. This act has raised up and results to pressure of insecurity to the student in the education institution and the country at large. (http://www.dhs.gov/active-shooter-preparedness) How media affect active shooter Media as the source of data has worked hard to eradicate the crime. The media have developed some refrains that inspires public perception of school violence. They include: social problematic frames (Evans, 2011) This common form incites fear by characteristic performances of school as wide spread wonders. It has taken information which suggests that school violence incidents are out of regulations and offer evidently support in the form of recent statistic to support the argument. (http://moralpanic.wikispaces.com/1.09.+Media+Portrayal+of+School+Shootings) Good news- Bad news frame. Although certain parts of an article may deliver the data that rates of school hostility have dropped, the frame presents a conflicting message by supporting two complete opposing argument. Media has also endorsed fear in the public through reference to horrific school shooting this has made people to have fear hence the practice has increased as many people die due to active shooters. (Kupchik & Bracy, 2009, p. 148) Sometimes the media is biased in that, they give wrong information to the public, and hence the shooters get the best opportunity to carry out their action of operation. This is so since the message delivered is predictable, yet also give place the blame on schools for their letdown to forecast and avert (John P. & Blair, 2013). In conclusion media has affected active shooters in wide areas especially notifying the police about the incidents. Also giving warning to citizens not forgetting educating them to report any incident immediately to the nearby authority for justice to be taken. Does school shooting increase active shooter in uniform? This is the question that has risen. Actually the answer to question is yes. School shooting has increased active shooters. This is because the active shooter normally take the advantage of school uniform to carry out their operation so that they cannot be identified but instead they are the students who have done the robbing. The active shooter also takes advantage of using students to make major crimes. All this has enabled increase of the crime since the truth has not been revealed to the public. (http://leb.fbi.gov/2014/january/active-shooter-events-from-2000-to-2012) Active shooter being the major risk to security, human living has made the world to be in a state of fear and wonders. Due to the mechanism placed by the administrative force for example police and world leaders, measures have been placed in place. Especially use of the modern technology to track the individuals involving in the act and being punished by either jailing or being killed (Bracy, 2009). This act has reduced rapidly over time since the incidences are not actually as they were before measures were put into placed. In addition, the media portray of school shooting for example social problem frame, good news-bad news fame, remerging columbine frame, emotional response as information frame and predicting the unpredictable frame has also enabled the crime to decrease. (http://moralpanic.wikispaces.com/1.09.+Media+Portrayal+of+School+Shootings) Methods of media broadcasting Some of the methods the media has employed that may affect the people’s opinion include using of propaganda message in news report, books among others. The propaganda on news, and current affairs on active shooter has made people to have fear in the information delivered (Neil T. & Anderson, 2003) Reasons why school shootings have been on people’s fear list is that it has created insecurity to learning institutions and also has led to loss of many lives as students are killed. It has also created tension in that, many students drop out of the institutions. This also makes people be involved in the act such that they fear being victimized or being killed in the long run. The truth is that police cannot be active shooters but at some instances, they pretend to be also the active shooters to enable tracking of the shooters. At times, also the police normally collide with the active shooters by offering firearms to them. By dining thi,s they go further to involve in the activity to gain either fame or support in political background. (http://moralpanic.wikispaces.com/1.09.+Media+Portrayal+of+School+Shootings) Conclusion School shooting or active shooting has created fear among people and more so the learning institutions. This act has resulted into loss of many lives, destruction of properties, insecurity and also decline in the economy of the country. Due to this, world leaders have come up with mechanisms to enable fight the act. References Bracy, K. ( 2009). 1.09. Media Portrayal of School Shootings. 146. Evans, E. ( 2011). Transmedia Television: Audiences, New Media, and Daily Life. Taylor & Francis. Guerrero, L. A. (2007). Close Encounters: Communication in Relationships. Los Angeles: Sage Publications. John P. Blair, T. N. (2013). Active Shooter Events and Response. CRC Press. Neil T. Anderson, D. P. (2003). Stomping Out Fear. Harvest House Publishers. Read More