Selective Coverage

Through the power and influence of mass media, over the years they have found themselves capable of being able to determine the severity of a crime. This has to do mainly with selective coverage, a technique used by media outlets to portray one event or type of event as greater than the other ( Schildkraut). By doing this, it can appear that one act is significantly greater than another. So although common belief may not coincide with mass media’s political agendas, by determining how severe an act is, it statistically increases the amount of information demanded concerning that act ( Schildkraut). When more information is demanded, more information is presented, and statistically, this in itself is what causes mass shootings to spike over time. For example, school shootings attract more coverage than other types of mass shootings, making school shootings some of the largest mass shootings that occur (Chermak). This is not a coincidence, however, this is something known as the Contagion effect (Meindl).