You might also discuss why a hundred times as many people are killed in car crashes as in plane crashes, but plane crashes get more publicity.
On Dec 24, 2012, at 8:26 AM, Mike Palij wrote: > Cullen's main point is that in situations like Columbine and Newtown, most > of the initial information about what happened is just wrong. As the Guardian > article above points out, journalistic rules get tossed and "gossip" serves as > "news". What actually happened in Columbine or Newtown or Aurora or > other places involving gun violence takes a long time to figure out as well > as getting the details right. But an "infotainment"-driven news media has > no patience for such things because it works in "news cycles", that is, > limited > time periods that can be devoted to one story until the next big story > appears. > > In my methods class, I point out that when an airplane crashes the National > Transportation Safety Board (in the U.S.) it usually take 18-24 months for > them to conduct an investigation, reach conclusions, and present their report > for why the crash occurred. Sometimes the reasons are clear, sometimes no > definitive conclusion can be reached, and all the other incidents fall > somewhere > in between. But the news media may only spend a couple or few days on > a plain crash, depending upon spectacular or newsworthy it is considered, > and people will learn and remember what they heard on these broadcasts and > NOT on the report that is issued maybe two years later. People will think > that > they know what happened but this is just the illusion of knowledge. We should > not be surprised that similar things happen to other big news stories like > mass > shootings. People have their own lives to live and unless they are directly > involved in the incidents will not really care to get the story straight > (i.e., do > the hard work of following up what is learned and ultimately concluded). Paul Brandon Emeritus Professor of Psychology Minnesota State University, Mankato pkbra...@hickorytech.net --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@jab.org. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=22546 or send a blank email to leave-22546-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
