Mass Shootings, The Media and Race

Three PhD students from Ohio State have looked at the reporting of mass shootings in the United states from 2013 to 2015. They studied 433 online and print news articles covering 219 mass shootings. Race played a large part in the reporting; they concluded that the shooter’s race could strongly predict whether the media framed him as mentally ill. A third of the articles describing the crimes of a white shooter made a mention of mental illness, while 2% describing a black shooter mentioned mental illness. White shooters were nearly 95 percent more likely to have their crimes attributed to mental illness than black shooters. 

Articles that did describe a white shooter as mentally ill would often suggest that the shooter had been a generally good person who was a victim of society. The shooting, in other words, was out of character. Nearly 80 percent of articles that described white shooters as mentally ill also described them as a victim of society and circumstance – a tough childhood, a failed relationship or financial struggles. However only one article that described a black shooter as mentally ill did the same. 

Furthermore, no article offered testimony to black shooters’ good character, suggested that the shooter was from a good environment or that the shooting was out of character. 

It seems as if media outlets tend to cast the violent acts of white criminals as unfortunate anomalies of circumstance and illness. For black shooters media outlets render their crimes with a brush of inherent criminality.

It's a study. Who knows how accurate it really is! But it is interesting.