On February 14, 2018, the 25th school shooting since the 1999 Columbine massacre transpired in Parkland, Florida, where 17 lives were lost. In wake of this recurring tragedy, citizens have taken to the streets in protest for gun control restrictions. There are arguments on whether it is that the United States requires stricter control regulations, or if this is a mental health epidemic. The variety of news outlets portray each event through their politics and biases (Goodall, 2000). Through these biases, the mainstream media’s outlets cultivate the image of the shooter, which in turn assists the public’s opinion of who are carrying out these horrific events. This presentation examines how five news outlets (FOX, MSNBC, CNN, ABC News, and CBS News) have portrayed four of the last major school shootings (Columbine High School, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook Elementary School, Stoneman Douglas High School) in the last twenty years. Specifically, focusing on the images used of the gunmen, and specifically in the captions of their photos. This paper argues that through the image the media are constructing of these gunmen due to their personal tragedies and race, instead of focusing on the calamity itself, thus continuing this debate over the root of the issue.
About the presenterVictoria Walker
Victoria Walker is a recent Communication graduate student at Villanova University (May 2019), and as of May 2017 a graduate of Kutztown University of Pennsylvania majoring in Communication Studies with minors in Public Relations, Professional Writing, Digital Communication and New Media, and Psychology.