52 school shootings this year.

1 on a school bus

2 at preschools

10 at elementary schools

15 at high schools

21 at colleges.

2 a month.

The numbers cannot be ignored. Although there is no excuse to take innocent lives, there are many societal factors that influence the perpetuation of tragedies such as campus shootings. A major factor is the news.

Intended to be a quick source to find relevant information, news outlets, whether online or on-air, play a role in these kinds of incidents.  News stations should also be placed in this category. As children mature, their interest in current events increases, whether by genuine curiosity or for a school assignment.

TV shows, movies, video games and other forms of media have consistently been called into question as far as how deeply they influence the minds of the young.

But it is not that they watch but what they watch that is concerning.

The news brings an element to the table that other forms of entertainment often do not: reality. The faces they plaster on the news after tragedies are not paid actors, they are real people. They are seen by just as more viewers than any violence-glorifying summer blockbuster. Intentional or not, this form of glamorization by the news is not deserved by the monsters who commit these crimes. Unfortunately, this breed of limelight is exactly what some of those dark minds crave most.

A prime example is the Umpqua Community College shooting this month. I won’t mention the shooter’s name, and couldn’t explain my reason any better than Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin in a press conference, “I will not give him the credit he probably sought prior to this horrific and cowardly act.”

Prior to the massacre, the shooter made several posts online that were meant to put the Newtown and South Carolina shootings in a positive light. He also had several obscure dating profiles, which leads to the conclusion he was lonely.  This kind of vulnerable mind is the most susceptible to go to extraneous lengths to feel accepted by society.

He laid out his intentions very clearly in one online post, “I have noticed that so many people like him are all alone and unknown, yet when they spill a little blood, the whole world knows who they are.… His face splashed across every screen, his name across the lips of every person on the planet, all in the course of one day. Seems the more people you kill, the more you’re in the limelight,” the Umpqua shooter said.

Something needs to be done to eliminate this mentality. We need to stop giving these monsters what they want. He was extremely explicit with his intentions, and still, his face and name have been plastered all over the 5 o’clock news. While the public needs to be well informed, I think these kinds of tragedies need to be handled by the individually impacted community. When people die of natural causes, unless they are a celebrity or figurehead, it is not reported on international news. Shootings are really no different. There is loss and grief, and the media needs to respect the individuals affected by keeping silent on these issues or focusing on those attempting to help and to heal.