Violence in the Media 1 | 页面 3

. As a tabloid newspaper the Daily Mail uses headlines to create a stir in the audience and gain publicity. We can see the difference in reporting styles by looking at The Gaurdian’s article on the shooting. This was their headline: Sandy Hook report – shooter Adam Lanza was obsessed with mass murder. This shows the difference between tabloid and broadsheet newspapers. This headline suggests that Lanza’s obsession with mass murder played a key role leading up to the massacre. This is much more likely than video games being responsible, however, it still points to outside factors rather than the obvious access to weapons and mental health issues. A Clockwork Orange was released in 1972 but was banned in the UK in 1973. It was very controversial upon its release. The British press claimed that this film was promoting violence, however, Kubrick disputed this and said that the film alone could not trigger violence in the audience. Following copycat crimes the film’s release was delayed by a year. The media blamed these crimes on the film until Kubrick pulled the film from release as he worried that the copycat crimes would continue. Natural Born Killers has also been blamed for murder. In 1995 Sarah Edmondson and Ben Darras went on a crime spree killing one and injuring another. Before the crime spree they watched Natural Born Killers on repeat while on acid. The media took these facts and blamed the film for the crimes despite the drug use. Byers, who was injured in the spree sued the couple and Time Warner. In 2001 this case was dismissed as there was no evidence that Time Warner intended to incite violence. The film is a satire on how the media sensationalises and glorifies crime. This however, was taken by the media as encouraging violence. This is a good example of a preferred reading compared to an oppositional reading. The film was blamed for these crimes, while the use of LSD was glossed over. The media suggesting that these films and games were responsible for the crimes shows how the hypodermic needle theory is applicable as the media implies that simply by watching and playing these films and games these people have became murderers despite the other factor involved- drug use and depression. Most people are active audiences and will watch a film and interpret the story how they like without becoming murderers. However, when a game or film is blamed for crimes by the mass media, this causes moral panic so people jump on the bandwagon and believe that these games should be stopped in case another freak crime occurs.