The Thug, The Terrorist, and The Lone Wolf

Jacob Sherer
js413114@ohio.edu

Phil Graham of the Washington Post once said that journalism is the "first rough draft of history." When breaking news hits, framing is key and improper word choice can help feed misleading stereotypes.

Following the massacre in Las Vegas, in which Stephen Paddock killed 59 and injured more than 500, media outlets quickly referred to the assault as the worst mass shooting in history. The coverage generated controversy for a number of number of reasons.

First, many were quick to criticize the media for not labeling Paddock as a terrorist. Choosing instead to refer to him as a "lone wolf" and "living a quiet life." These aren't the words that should be used to describe a mass murderer. Had Paddock been a practicer of Islam, the media would have labeled Paddock a terrorist from the first headline. One would assume that if a person commits the worst mass shooting in history, no matter their demographic profile, they are inherently a terrorist.

However, this does not match the FBI definition of domestic terrorism with the key clause being that the incident has to have the intention of influencing or coercing the government. And since Paddock was killed before his intentions were discovered, it impossible to know what his motive was before committing such an atrocity.

Another issue with the coverage was the labeling of the incident as the "worst shooting in history." The use of this language almost makes these frighteningly frequent events invading the American newsphere appear to be a superlative. As something a person should try to eclipse. The distinction is also just not accurate. Many far deadlier massacres have occurred on United States soil, with most of the victims being people of color. More specifically African Americans and Native Americans.

Initially I mentioned the importance of framing. The media is often much harsher when the perpetrator is a person of color. The media even treats white suspects better than POC victims.

Following the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, people wondered what photo news outlets would run if they were gunned down garnering worldwide attention to the way victims of color are treated in comparison to white suspects and perpetrators.

Language is also important when reporting these events. Similar to the media coverage of Paddock being described as having "lived a quiet life" before the shooting. Headlines for white suspects often attempt to paint the perpetrator in a positive light and have an air of disbelief surrounding it. Attempting to distinguish the event as a freak incident that nobody would have expected.

While headlines involving a POC victim tend to be more dismissive and almost try to make it appear the victims deserved what happened to them almost as a form of character assassination to make the actions of the perpetrator appear justified.

This is by no means the standard procedure of news outlets, but it happens with enough frequency that greater responsibility has to be taken to eliminate bias, give respect to those who deserve it and not distort the facts.