School Shootings and the Media

MADISON, Ala., Feb. 5, 2010

A ninth-grader shot by another student

This recent event occurred in a Middle School in north Alabama.

A ninth-grader was shot by another student, during class inside the class room.

The 14 year old boy Todd Brown, died in the hospital.

The suspected shooter was arrested inside the school, where the police are

stationed. No one else was injured





This recent event occurred in a Middle School in north Alabama. A ninth-grader was shot by another student, during class inside the class room. The 14 year old boy Todd Brown, died in the hospital. The suspected shooter was arrested inside the school, where the police are stationed. No one else was injured.

This is one of many examples and events on school shootings. There are current event, such as events in the past, and they all have one in common, the kids are usually 10 to 18 years old. And here I believe we need to ask ourselves, who is to blame? How much can we blame a child for there horrifying actions? In the end they are just children, and they are usually still in their own learning process, so where do those kids come across such violence? I certainly believe that children had to be acquainted with violence for them to behave in such way.

The horrifying fact is that those are kids, and not reasonable adults, but where do these kids get their inspiration from? Even though it is not scientifically proven that this violent behaviour is taken from violent video games, movies or TV programs, I certainly believe that it can influence the children very much. Children are curious, they like to experiment and try things, and the violence they see on a daily basis is extreme. So the connection to behaviour from this reality they create by video games or TV can be misunderstood by children. And this is where it becomes a problem, because children create their own “reality” where they believe what they see. Those video games and violent TV programs do not portray the reality, because the child does not get the right message from those mediums. The hero worship from a gangster, or the portrayal of revenge, and the portrayal of immortality in video games, movies, and violent TV programs are totally absurd.

But where can we distinguish the line between what can be shown to children and what should be shown to adults? Is it even possible to forbid certain content? And who should be responsible to do so? These days it is so simple to just turn on the TV and entertain a child, but parents should be aware of the content, usually parents are too busy to look into detail of what the child is exposed to, and are more content that they have a certain entertainment. Here I believe the connection to the shooting, might have been a portrayal on what the kid has seen, because a 14 year old child is not so much aware of his own actions. In this case of the shooting we also have to question the security of children, security in schools and security of children at home by heaving such easy access to weapons.


CBSNews.(2010,February 5).Teen Dies in Ala. Middle School Shooting [Image]. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/05/national/main6179311.shtml

AssociatedPress.(2010,February). 14-year-old Shot at Alabama Middle School Dies [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5838d4GmcU&feature=related

The AssociatedPress.(2010,February). Teen Dies in Ala. Middle School Shooting.CBSNews.