> For the most part I tend to be sceptical about claims of media influence, especially to the extent to which it might by itself trigger copycat behaviour or violence

Media coverage of Dunblane was implicated in the Port Arthur massacre by at least one reasonably reliable source.

You could probably make the same complaints against coverage of terrorism. In both cases you have obsessive coverage over what are – in the West – exceptional events which can feed the nihilistic fantasies of suicidal nutjobs.

On the other hand the boundary between ‘responsible’ journalism and censorship is a fine one and I don’t see how such ‘responsibility’ could be enforced.

@ 2 agree for the most part – formal censorship I cannot agree with, but would a paper(s) deciding not to report certain news be acceptable? Not that I am trying to skirt the issue because it is a hard one to call.

One point, almost off topic, is the piracy issue we have now – even dear Henry Porter is sticking up for draconian legislation against people downloading music/books and how it can kill newsprint. The very large and very rich music companies are pushing the idea that ISP now log everything which gives rise and credence to the governmental databases that he argues against. As the companies see success – more of them call for more cases to go before the court because one has won.

Can you have one without the other?

The media do tend to be selective. There is a “killing spree” continuing all the time on Death Row, Polunsky Unit, Livingstone, Texas. The spree is, I agree, spaced out a little but the good people of Texas continue to top these terrible criminals, almost always non white, and who have often been on DR for 15 and more years. This “lust for justice” eis ignored by their “closest ally” the UK. Here is a taste of what is happening although, if you are similar to any politicians, senior clergy or indeed almost anyone else you will be bored rigid. Killed in January: Curtis Moore, 14 January; Reginald Perkins 22 January; Virgil Martinez 28 January: Ricardo Ortiz, 29 January. And that, as we approach Easter, is January and the same rate continues for February and into March. Couldn’t we at least have one sermon from Rowan Williams; or the new RC top man; or even David Cameron or someone from the Lib Dems? What about Gordon Brown? Or is he too busy keeping the bankers afloat. Charles Windsor, of course, seems a lost cause.

What gets to me is that when some American kid with a gun slaughters or maims a dozen or so of his buddies or teachers we have the BBC saying that they will “keep us informed of developments”. Developments at Polunsky pass unoticed as “we cannot interfere with the laws of another nation.” Particularly when it is the USA, of course. The same restraint is relaxed when Blair and Bush raize much of Iraq when it suits then on what seems to be increasingly spurious grounds.

It seems to me that particularly in the cases of spree killings – and presuming what the psychologist from CB’s interview says is true – that there are some easy direct rules that could be enforced without limiting reportage:

For the papers:
1. no spree killings on the front page
2. number of dead not in headline

For the TV news:
1. no spree killings in trailers for show
2. no spree killings in top-of-show headlines
3. number of dead not on titles.

For news media websites:
1. no dead number in title or strap
2. no spree killings in carousel or featured items section

etc.

Gee, why don’t we just stop reporting on killing sprees altogether? Why cover any murders period? I mean honest to goodness, if people are so lame that they get easily influenced by reading something in the paper, that’s pretty pathetic. Most people I can assure you will not go out and shoot a bunch of people just because they read the newspaper headlines last week. Admittedly there is something wrong with the mentality of some people but why should news coverage be censored to accommodate a handful of people? And who is to say they won’t go out and commit murder anyway? I don’t know about you but if there is some nutcase on a rampage I deserve to know about it.