jayrosen: The definitive clip on how the media should handle...

jayrosen:

The definitive clip on how the media should handle mass murderers.

At least it is in my opinion. Watch til the end for the payoff. (It’s only 2:48) 

It’s true that these crimes have to be reported; we don’t want to be left in the dark. But it’s not true that they have to be pumped up into a big story or given wall-to-wall coverage on CNN. In Denver, it’s a huge story. But in the UK?

What bothers me most about the coverage of these things is the atmosphere of excitement that creeps in. The tone should be business-like, informational, the voice of someone resigned to the fact that crimes like this happen but determined to deny the killer any hint of glamour. An excess of sobriety to frustrate his craving for notoriety.