Media Mindfulness

As the horrible tragedy in Virginia unfolds, we as media watchers must immediately guard against the tendency of the pundocracy to use this as anecdotal evidence for their various causes, especially those who demonize youth. MSNBC.com has a really good article on the ten myths about school shootings. Please read it via the link below. I highlighted the last point, because despite the sensationalism of the event, this kind of violence is extremely rare. Meanwhile, our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims and the community at large.

10 myths about school shootings - Crime & Punishment - MSNBC.com:

Myth No. 10. “School violence is rampant.”

It may seem so, with media attention focused on a spate of school shootings. In fact, school shootings are extremely rare. Even including the more common violence that is gang-related or dispute-related, only 12 to 20 homicides a year occur in the 100,000 schools in the U.S. In general, school assaults and other violence have dropped by nearly half in the past decade.

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